As If We Never Said Goodbye
by black archer
Summary: Draco Malfoy: the most sought after single father in the wizarding world. Pansy Parkinson: the new Charms professor. When an idea strikes Draco's children, what's the worst that could happen? DMPP
1. The House of Malfoy: After the War

_A man of 26 ran as fast as his feet can around St. Mungo's. He looked around, left and right, and then proceeded to the hall at his left. He kept on running, until he stopped abruptly at a door to a private room. A woman was lying on the hospital bed, raucously coughing. When she stopped, she looked at him and gave him a weak smile. He neared her and she took his hand and held it firmly. _

"_Gaea," he said, huffing. "Gaea, what-" Gaea cut him off by placing a finger on his lips. _

"_Draco, it's no use," Gaea said. "You and I both know this is going to happen. We've been expecting this."_

"_Gaea, don't say that. You're going to be alright. We're going to-"_

_He was cut off again this time by her hacking cough. He rubbed her back in an attempt to sooth her. It worked. She lay back down again and looked at him intensely._

"_Draco, my time is almost over. Take care of the children, alright? Make sure that Hades and Apollo lessens their fights. And also make sure that Artemis doesn't get hurt because of Quidditch. Every night, you need to read to Poseidon. He likes those muggle fairy tales." As she spoke, tears were slowly falling from her eyes. "But be sure to remember to take care of yourself. Move on with your life; don't let me keep you in the past. I love you, Draco. Always remember that."_

_Draco felt her grip on him loosen. When he looked at her, her eyes were closed, and she was smiling. For the first time in years, he cried. He kissed her hand and brushed a few strands of her hair that were in her face. Stroking her face gently, he whispered, "I love you too, Gaea. I love you."_

* * *

Draco Malfoy woke up with a start, sweat trickling down his forehead. He had that dream again. It's been five years since she had died, but he still couldn't get over her. _If you'd see me now, you'd think I'm so pathetic,_ Draco thought. Running a hand through his hair, he looked at his bedside clock. _Shit, I'm late._ He immediately got out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom. 

After taking a quick shower, Draco hurried down the long and winding staircase of Malfoy Manor and to the dining room. What he saw was not the most beautiful sight anyone would see.

A pair of boys was loudly bickering on one corner, while a girl was trying to stop them. She, also, was practically shouting. Another boy, who was seated, looked oblivious with the situation since he was so engrossed with the book he was reading. Draco sighed and rolled his eyes as he got his wand from his pocket and pointed it to his throat.

"Enough!" His voice boomed, and the shouting ceased. "Thank you." He returned the wand back in his pocket. "Now, what went on here this time?"

"It's really Apollo's fault, Dad. He still hasn't packed his things when I told him to do so last night," one of the bickering boys, the eldest among the siblings, said as he sat down. Hades had inherited his father's looks, the usual Malfoy features. With his platinum-white blond hair and stormy grey eyes, he is a complete carbon copy of his father. He is already in his 3rd year at Hogwarts.

The boy he was fighting with rolled his eyes and snorted. "I've already fixed most of my things last night, _O Great One,_" he hissed, sitting on the chair opposite Hades. "The things you saw in my room are those that I was leaving. Bloody know-it-all!"

"Would you stop it? Just shut up and start eating or else we're going to miss the train!" the girl said, sitting down beside him and shoving a piece of toast in his mouth. The boy could only glare at her as he tried to chew all the food inside his mouth.

Apollo and Artemis are Draco's fraternal twins. Both had their mother's black hair; the only difference (aside from the obvious) was their eyes. Apollo also had his father's grey, while Artemis inherited her mother's crystal blue eyes. She looked exactly like their mother. They were both entering their 2nd year at Hogwarts.

"You really should be ashamed of yourselves," Draco reprimanded. "Good thing Poseidon didn't join in, or else this house would be in total chaos."

Entering Hogwarts for the first time, Poseidon was the youngest among the Malfoy siblings. He had platinum-blond hair, but had blue eyes. He could always be found reading a book or another, making him the quietest. He rarely ever joined in his siblings' disputes, as he got along well with the other three. He still had his eyes glued to the book he was reading earlier.

As for Draco, he still looked young when he was really 31 years old already. His blond hair was no longer slicked back like it used to be, but let down, with his bangs falling on his eyes. He now works in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable. Before he could take another bite off his sandwich, the fire in the fireplace blazed and a woman stepped out of it.

"DRACO! Why haven't you been replying to my messages? I was starting to get worried!" the woman exclaimed, placing Draco's lips on hers. The children (Poseidon looked up from his book to see who came)cringed and glared at her. Draco pushed her away.

"Chanel, please, not in front of my children," Draco said, wiping the lipstick smudged on his lips with his table napkin. "And I've told you already, we're through. Now could you please get off me and get out of my house?"

"But, Draco, baby, you're kidding, right? You can't dump me, no one dumps Chanel Grey! Maybe you're not feeling well, maybe-"

"I'm feeling perfectly fine, thank you. And yes, I am dumping you. Now, please leave. The children still have to prepare for Hogwarts," Draco told her coldly.

Chanel glared at him, and if looks could kill, he'd be dead a thousand times over. "Remember this day, Draco Malfoy," she whispered venomously. "No one dumps Chanel Grey without paying for it!" And with that, she turned to the fireplace, took a pinch of Floo powder, and with a blaze of green fire, she was gone.

The whole room was silent for a few seconds, but Poseidon decided to break the ice. "That was rather harsh, Dad," he said. "Too harsh, even for her."

"Right you are, little brother," Apollo concurred. "Although I am glad you have come to your senses, Father. I mean, how could anyone enjoy having her around?"

"Apollo's right, Father," Hades said. Apollo puffed his chest up in pride. Hades merely rolled his eyes at him and continued. "If she stayed in this room for another second I could've puked. I honestly don't know what you saw in her."

"What about you, Artemis? Got any comments like your brothers here?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"Well, they've pretty much said everything, so I can only say good riddance," Artemis said, taking a sip from her goblet.

"Hear, hear," her brothers unanimously said.

Draco only shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, hurry up, we leave at 10:25." He then stood up and made his leave.

_Did you leave them with me to punish me, Gaea? _He thought. _Not that I'm complaining. But being a single father is a lot harder than my actual job! Well, I hope you're-_

His train of thought was cut off by a _crack!_ coming from the Entrance Hall and the appearance of his best friend, Blaise Zabini. He was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in Hogwarts.

"Hey, Drake," Blaise said.

"Hey, Blaise," Draco replied.

"How're the children?"

"Still as noisy as ever, with the exception of Poseidon, of course. What are you doing here?" Draco asked.

"Just dropping by to see if the Manor's still in one piece," Blaise said with a grin. "Well, I'll see you around in Hogsmeade, alright?"

"Right."

And with another crack, Blaise disapparated. _Well, here we go again._

* * *

"Ah, the Hogwarts Express," Apollo sighed. 

They have finally arrived at Platform 9 ¾ after another bout of bickering ("Give me my wand, Apollo, or I swear I'll hex you to the next century!" "How can you do that if your wand's with me?") and a lot of weird glances from the muggles in King's Cross ("Why do they always look at us like that? It's as though we've sprouted another head or something!"). They made their way past the crowd and got near one of the doors of the train.

"Behave yourselves, you lot, especially you, Apollo," Draco said, casting a meaningful glance at the boy mentioned. Apollo merely gave him a lopsided grin. "Look after Poseidon. He's in your charge now, you three. Be careful when practicing Quidditch. And just have fun, alright? Don't take school too seriously, you'd go insane if you do." Just then, the train gave a loud whistle to alert the students to enter the train already.

"You'd better go inside," Hugging each of the children, Draco shoved them inside the train. When the last children have already gone inside, the engine started to chug and move.

"Have a good year!" Draco shouted to his children as they got farther and farther from the station. He watched the train get smaller and smaller until it was gone. With a sigh, he turned to leave, but a shout stopped him.

"Draco!" He looked around to see Ron Weasley and Harry and Ginny Potter. He waved at them and started to walk towards them.

Hermione and Ron got married two years after the war. They have three children, two of which are already attending Hogwarts. Hermione replaced Professor McGonagall as Transfiguration teacher while Ron pursued Professional Quidditch. Harry and Ginny got married a year after Ron and Hermione and they have two children (twins) who are both attending Hogwarts as well. Harry continued with his plan of being an Auror and Ginny now works at St. Mungo's as Head Healer. Ginny is also currently pregnant with their third child.

"How are you? We heard you broke up with Chanel Grey. Is that true?" Ginny asked.

"I'm fine, thank you, Ginny, and yes, I broke up with her weeks ago. My children couldn't stand her," Draco said.

"You'd better be careful, she won't give you up that easily," Ron warned.

"Yes, well, as a matter of fact, she gave us a visit earlier this morning, but I told her to get out," Draco related.

"You really know how to break a woman's heart, don't you?" Harry said mockingly, then looked at his pocket watch. "Gin, we have to go. Tonks will have my head if I'm late again."

"I also need to go," Ron said. "We have practice at 11:15. See you around, Draco." And with that, he disapparated.

"Well, see you at the Ministry, Draco," Harry said. "I still have to drop her off to work. It's dangerous for her to apparate in her condition." Placing a hand on Ginny's shoulder and waving the other to Draco, they also disapparated.

"I'd best be off to work too," Draco said to himself, and disapparated to the Ministry of Magic.

* * *

"Welcome and welcome back to all of you!" Headmaster Remus Lupin's voice echoed all over the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "Now, a reminder. The Forbidden Forest has its reasons for being called as such. Students are not allowed to stray inside the forest, unless it's for detention purposes. And also, it is my sad duty to tell you that our dear Professor Flitwick is no longer with us. He has passed away during the summer, but he will be replaced by a former student of mine, Professor Parkinson." 

Claps thundered across the hall. Professor Parkinson stood up, gave a small nod and sat back down.

"And now, let the feast begin!" With a wave of his hand, loads of food appeared on the tables and the children immediately started eating.

"Look at Professor Parkinson," Apollo whispered to Hades at the Slytherin table. "All of the other professors seem to know her. Especially Professor Weasley and Uncle Blaise. D'you reckon Dad knows her too?"

"It's a possibility," Hades replied. "I'll write to Father about it later. Oh, for Merlin's sakes, stop eating like a pig, Apollo!"

Apollo had dug in, literally. His mouth was full, oil was visible in his lips and he had a drumstick on one hand and a shepherd's pie in the other. He tried to retort, but the words cannot be made out. Hades rolled his eyes at him and started eating.

* * *

The next morning, Draco received a letter from Hades. 

_Father,_

_Don't worry, we're all still in one piece. Poseidon was sorted in Slytherin. We thought he would be in Ravenclaw, the bookworm that he is, but it seems that he has inherited your cunning as well. We'll take care of him, don't worry._

_Flitwick has died in the summer, and so we have a new Charms teacher. Her name's Professor Parkinson. Dunno her first name, though. All the other teachers seem to know her, Uncle Blaise more than the others. Do you know her, Dad? Did you go to school with her? Please tell us everything you know about her. Apollo's especially interested._

_Reply soon, Dad. Take care always. Apollo, Artemis and Poseidon send their love._

_Always,_

_Hades_

Draco raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Parkinson? It can't be…"

* * *

A/N: There are some things I wanted to clear out. Some of the Slytherins (Draco, Blaise, Pansy, etc.) joined with the side of Light in the war against Voldemort. Draco has made amends with Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Order. Lucius, along with the other Death Eaters and Voldemort, is now dead. Pansy disappeared right after the war and no one has seen her since. Tonks is the Head of Aurors and she is married to Remus. Remus resumed his DADA post after the war until three years ago when McGonagall retired and he was made headmaster. Tell me what you think… is it crappy or nice or? I know I made some grammatical errors here and there, so just tell me. READ AND REVIEW, FOLKS! 


	2. First Day High

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything save for the children.

A/N: Thank you to **EcstasyofSesshoumaru**, **Porcelain.Heart**, **bigred20**, and **angelraine** for giving their reviews. I know I told you I'd update soon, but I suffered from a massive **writer's block** so I wasn't able to update. Not to mention the tech problems I've been having. Anyway, on with the show, but don't forget to R&R!

_

* * *

__Draco raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Parkinson? It can't be…"_

* * *

Draco rushed to the fireplace to confirm this latest news. He threw a pinch of Floo powder and enunciated clearly, "Private Quarters of Professor Zabini, Hogwarts!" before sticking his head clearly into the fire. 

"Blaise! Blaise, where the hell are you?" Draco practically shouted, scanning the room.

"Draco? What is it?" Blaise emerged from what would seem to be the bathroom, as he was wearing a bathrobe and performing a Drying Charm on his hair.

"Blaise, it's urgent," Draco said.

"Well, what is it?" Blaise asked, taking a seat by his fireplace.

"I've just received a letter from the children. It stated that they have a new Charms teacher whose name is Professor Parkinson. Who is she?"

Blaise gave a sigh. "I was supposed to write to you about it tonight. The children were one step ahead of me, it seems."

"Well, who is it?"

"Who do you think? Come on, Draco, all of the Parkinsons are extinct save two, one male and one female. So who do you think would be referred to as _she_?"

Draco felt his mouth fall open, but he did nothing to close it. "So, it really _is _Pansy Parkinson?" he said in disbelief. "Bloody hell."

"I second that, mate," Blaise said. "I could scarcely believe it myself when she first walked into the Faculty Conference Room. It's really her, but not quite."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the Pansy Parkinson we know is very blithe, as if she doesn't give a damn about the world. But now, it's as though the whole world is on her shoulders. She's going to be worse than Gran-er-Weasley, in my opinion. Plus, the fact that she's awfully quiet is a major change.

"But when you get to see her, you wouldn't be able to recognize her. Remember how she looked like a pug in our school days? Now she's just absolutely stunning," Blaise shared.

"I see," Draco mumbled. He had a pensive expression on his face.

"Why d'you ask anyway?" Blaise asked.

"Just curious," Draco replied absentmindedly. "Well, thanks Blaise, I'll see you around." And with that, he cut off the Floo connection.

"You're very welcome," Blaise grumbled, glaring at where Draco's head was.

* * *

"Where the hell is Apollo?" Hades asked to no one in particular. He, Artemis and Poseidon were already seated at the Slytherin table eating breakfast, but Apollo still hasn't showed up. 

"Where is he? Did you try to wake him up, Arty?"

"Yes, as I usually do," Artemis said. "He muttered something like 'I'll be up in a few minutes' or something like that, so I left him."

Hades groaned in frustration, resting his head on his hand. He began to scan the Great Hall. As usual, the people surrounding the Weasleys are laughing their hearts out. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were all talking animatedly about Merlin-knows-what. His eyes strayed to the doors and finally, he saw who he was waiting for.

Apollo casually strolled to the Slytherin table and sat beside Poseidon. Seeing all of them so grim, he asked, "What's wrong with you all? It's a beautiful morning."

"What do you think?" Hades asked back sarcastically. "You come to breakfast late, and it seems like nothing to you! Where the hell have you been anyway?"

Taking a sip from his goblet, Apollo motioned near the Gryffindor table. The others followed his gaze and they immediately understood what he's been up to.

It was Lillian Potter, daughter of Harry and Ginny Potter and also in 2nd year. Hades only sighed and watched Apollo as he ate.

"What are you, her stalker? You know she hates you, right?" Hades said.

"I'm not stalking her. It's merely observing what she does," Apollo told him, taking a bite from his treacle tart. "And she'll warm up to me sooner or later. Any reply from Dad?"

"Nah, he must've received it only this morning. Don't worry, there's no reason why he shouldn't give a reply," Hades replied. "Before I forget, are you two going to try out for the team? Cadwaller told me earlier this morning it's set for next week, Saturday." Hades gestured to their team captain a few seats from them. Hades was a chaser for the Slytherin Quidditch team.

"Yeah, we are," Apollo replied. "Though I haven't signed up yet."

"I've already put your name earlier," Artemis informed him.

"Oh, thanks. So who has Charms first?"

The other two dug in their bags for their timetables. "I do," Poseidon said.

Looks of disappointment were evident on his older siblings' faces and the rest of their breakfast was spent in silence. When they finished, they went to their groups of friends and proceeded to their first classes of the year.

* * *

Pansy sat at the staff table, observing the students as they went through breakfast. Her eyes strayed to the Slytherin table and two blonds immediately caught her eye. 

"They look like their father, don't they?" Blaise whispered beside her.

"They're his?"

"Well, yes! Only one family has children who look like that," Blaise replied, rolling his eyes. "The taller one's Hades, the other is Poseidon. The girl sitting across them is Artemis. Apollo's missing, though. Woke up late again, I'm guessing."

"He has four children? _Four?_" she asked, surprised.

"Apollo and Artemis are twins," Blaise explained.

"Oh," Pansy said in reply. "A lot sure has changed around here. What about you, Blaise? Do you have children?"

Blaise hesitated for a minute. "Yes. I have two, but only one is here."

"Where?"

He nodded in the direction of the Ravenclaw table. "You see that girl standing up? The one with black hair and glasses. That's Elise, my eldest. She's in 3rd year already."

"She looks just like you," Pansy said, looking at him. "Where's the other one?"

"Elliot's with Daphne," Blaise said. "They're now in France. He's already 10. Daph and I haven't talked about whether he'll attend Hogwarts or Beauxbatons next year."

"Daphne? You married Daphne Greengrass?"

"Yes, but I filed for a divorce six years ago."

Pansy didn't know what to say, so she merely took a bite from her toast. Blaise gave her a knowing look.

"I know what you want to ask, Pansy, so just fire away," Blaise said.

Pansy looked at him, abashed. "Why did you split up?"

"She wasn't as happy with me as she was when we started," Blaise said, looking at his reflection on the pumpkin juice in his goblet. "She didn't have to tell me. I could see it in her eyes. So I gave her back her freedom."

"Did you love her?"

"I did, and I still do, but I can't really force myself upon her if she doesn't want me."

"You really have changed a lot, Blaise," Pansy said, squeezing his hand supportively and giving him a small smile. "Don't worry, she'll come around, and if she doesn't, I'm sure you'll find someone else who deserves you more."

"I'm not the only one who's changed, Panse. Since when have you acquired a sense of optimism?" Blaise joked. "I don't believe it, we should be preparing for our classes already!"

* * *

"Oh, Merlin, can this class get any worse?" Elise Zabini grumbled as she watched Professor Binns drone the lesson away. 

"Don't worry, Lise, just a few more minutes and it's over," Hades replied. He was seated beside Elise near the window, just in case his father chose to owl his reply now. He glanced once every few minutes to see if there was an owl hovering outside, but until now, there's been no luck. So he was stuck with Binns' excruciatingly boring lecture with the others.

"Why hasn't he retired yet? Why?" Elise muttered to herself, exasperated. "I can't take any more of his incessant talk, I- Hades, isn't that your father's owl?" She pointed outside and indeed, it was Iris, his father's owl. He looked over to see whether Binns was looking their way (which he isn't) before opening the window to let Iris perch on the windowsill.

"About bloody time you got here, girl," Hades muttered, untying the letter from her foot. Glancing one more time at Binns, he shooed her and closed the window.

"What's that all about?" Elise asked.

"Nothing, it's nothing," Hades instantly replied, quickly shoving the letter into his bag. He'd be reading it over at lunch with his brothers and sister. Elise gave him a shrewd look but dropped the subject. After what seemed like an eternity, Binns finally said, "Class dismissed."

Hades hastily jammed his things into his bag. Elise merely gaped at him, wondering why the hell he's in such a hurry.

"I'll talk to you later. Gotta run!" Hades said quickly to Elise, literally running to get to the Great Hall.

* * *

When Hades arrived at the Great Hall, he immediately looked for any sign of his siblings. Looking over to the Gryffindor table, he instantly saw Apollo trying to get Lillian to talk to him. 

"Come on, Potter, I'm not all that bad," Apollo said. "And I'm really having problems with Transfiguration. You can tutor me, since you're one of the best in the subject. Please?" He put on his best 'puppy dog look'.

"For the last time, Malfoy, no, no and no!" Lillian spat in his face. "Why can't you just understand?"

"But, Lillian-"

"Come on, Polo," Hades said, pulling him away from the Gryffindor table.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

"I've just received Dad's letter. D'you want to read it or not?"

Apollo let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright. What does it say?"

"I haven't read it yet. I wanted all of us to read it at the same time," Hades replied, taking a seat beside Artemis.

"So you have it?" Poseidon asked.

"Yeah, here it is," Hades said, taking out the letter from his bag and opening the letter. The others hovered above him to get a good view of its content.

_Hades, _

_Send my congratulations to Poseidon for making it in Slytherin. I also thought he'd be Sorted into Ravenclaw (not that there's anything wrong with that). And thank Merlin you're all well. _

_To answer your question, yes, I did know your new Charms teacher. Her full name is Pansy Parkinson, a former Slytherin like me. She was in our year as well. She and I did not get along well, so be cautious around her. She might do something to you for revenge. Do not, and I mean DO NOT, get too close with her. She's a Slytherin at heart; she will strike when you least expect it. Do not be deceived by the kindness she is (or will be) showing you. She could harm you in ways more than one, so be careful._

_Heed my warning. Stay safe. DO NOT LET HER GET TOO CLOSE TO YOU._

_Love,_

_Dad_

_P.S._

_Send my love to Apollo, Artemis and Poseidon._

_Also, I'm currently dating someone (yes, someone else again, I know), but she's extremely nice. I'm sure you'll love her when you get to know her._

No one spoke for a few seconds, as they were all trying to absorb what was written in the letter. They shared glances, all showing shock and disbelief.

"Have you ever heard him talk like that?" Apollo asked suddenly.

"Never," Artemis said. "He's never spoken like that about anyone before."

"What are we gonna do, then?"

"It's simple, isn't it? We just have to follow what he said and stay away from her as much as possible," Poseidon stated.

"He's right," Hades said. "I wouldn't want to get on Father's bad side."

"Neither would I," Artemis said.

"Nor I," Poseidon said.

"Me too," Apollo said.

"So it's agreed," Hades concluded. "We will stay away from Professor Parkinson as much as possible. And no one, I mean _no one_ else should know about this."

The other three nodded their heads in agreement. The four proceeded to eat their lunch.

"Don, you've just finished Charms, haven't you?" Artemis asked. "How was it?"

"It was okay," Poseidon replied. "She's a very good teacher, I can tell. Pity Father told us to keep distance from her."

"If you say she's good, then she must be _really good,_" Apollo said. "But can you believe Dad's dating again? _'She's extremely nice'_, yeah right! As if I haven't heard that one before!"

"What could she be like, though?" Poseidon mused. "Dad seems to be really smitten with her."

The others merely shrugged, but they were all thinking of the same thing: what could she have that has made Dad fancy her so much?


	3. Expect The Unexpected

A/N: Arrgh! I am so frustrated with myself right now! I am so sorry I wasn't able to update soon, again! Classes have just started so I was pretty busy. Not to mention having another huge chunk of writer's block! Just to clear things, Lillian looks exactly like Lily, Harry's mother. She inherited her mother's hair and his father's eyes. And to Porcelain.Heart, you just have to read to find out. I really hope you enjoy! R&R!

* * *

Draco Malfoy sat in the Leaky Cauldron eating his lunch, or rather playing with it. The latest news still occupied his mind. Why the hell did she have to come back now? Why?

"Why?" He suddenly uttered aloud.

"Why what?"

He almost forgot that he was with someone. Serena Knight eyed him curiously. He gave her a small smile and held her hand.

"Nothing, love," he reassured her. "Nothing."

So far, his relationship with her had been one of the most smooth-sailing. She was beautiful, intelligent, and fun to be with, not to mention the fact that she can give him what men need. To make it short, she was the perfect girlfriend. And he was sure that his children would love her as well. He stared at her, hoping that, finally, he had found the woman who would be the mother of his children.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked, shoving his arm playfully.

"I was just marveling at your beauty," Draco said, smirking. "And I was thinking of how lucky I am. Many men would die to be in my position right now."

She gave a hearty laugh. "They were all right. You are such a sycophant," she said, rolling her eyes mockingly.

"But you love me for it, don't you?" he said cockily.

"That is very true," she said as she leaned in and kissed him passionately. _Life couldn't get any better,_ Draco thought. _But, of course, there's always a catch, _he added, remembering what Blaise had told him. _For now I'm just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy._

They parted, completely blissful looks on their faces. He kissed her on the forehead, then started eating his food. Serena snuggled closer to him.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you informed your children about us?"

"Yes, I included it in the letter I wrote them," he said.

"But don't you think they'd be angry with you?" she asked. "I mean, I thought you were going to tell them in person, or through the Floo, at least."

_Someone who finally cares about my children, and not only about me. She is perfect, _Draco thought. "Don't worry about it," he said, smiling. "And besides, I can't wait to tell them about us. I expect they would be shocked by the news, but they'll get over it."

"Do you think they'll agree to meet me on their Hogsmeade weekend?"

Draco choked on his gillywater. "No, I don't think they'll accept it _that _fast. Perhaps during their Christmas break."

"Alright then," she replied.

* * *

Poseidon walked in the idle hallways of the castle to the Quidditch pitch, completely immersed with the book in his hands. He was going to watch his siblings practice for the first match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Apollo and Artemis made the Quidditch team as seeker and beater, respectively. Apollo was especially excited about this match ever since he found out that Lillian was in the Gryffindor team. He chuckled at the memory, then looked around to see if there was anyone around. If anyone saw him, they'd think he was mad.

He closed his book, realizing that he could no longer put his focus on it. A piece of parchment fell as he did so, and when he read it, he saw that it was the letter sent to them by their father around a month ago. He reread it; so far they all had done what he told them to. As much as possible, they didn't recite in her class. Even Hades, who constantly participates in all his classes, obliged, albeit begrudgingly. They left immediately when classes were dismissed, and they avoided her in the hallways. Poseidon wondered why their father wanted them to stay away from her. She was well-liked by students and teachers alike; she was a very good and effective teacher and she seems to get along well with everyone, except for Filch, of course. He was very curious as to what she did to make their dad that angry with her. _If only Dad would tell us,_ he thought. _But he never tells us anything about his life as a Slytherin._

His eyes reached the bottom of the note. The four of them were wondering whether their dad would finally settle down with his current girlfriend, whoever she is. Every time he has a girlfriend they were always wondering whether she will be the one who will replace their mother.

He heaved a sigh. _Father isn't like that, _he thought to himself. _He always asks our opinions on everything. He would never do anything without asking us first. What is she like, though? I sure hope she's nice, unlike that bat, Grey. Father seems to be happy with her, from his tone in his letter. But what if she did turn out like the others? What if she's also a hag? What if-_

**BAM!**

He was so engrossed with his thoughts that he did not notice he wasn't alone anymore. Parchments flew everywhere upon impact, and he was knocked off to the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, hastily picking up the parchments now lying on the floor. "Oh, darn it!"

"Watch your language, Mr. Malfoy," the person he collided with chided. He looked up to see none other than Professor Parkinson, also gathering the parchments into her arms.

"Sorry Professor," Poseidon said as he handed her the parchments. "For running into you and for cursing."

"It's quite alright," Professor Parkinson said. "But next time, you should watch where you're going."

He nodded and turned to leave. He did not want to stay with her another minute, not to mention, his sibling might be looking for him already.

"Mr. Malfoy, before I forget, I would like to speak with you."

He closed his eyes in frustration before turning and walking towards her. "What is it, Professor?"

"I've noticed that you and your siblings aren't participating in my classes," Professor Parkinson said. "The other teachers have told me that you are all always active in their classes, so I was wondering why." Poseidon inhaled deeply; this was what he had been afraid of. "Don't worry; I won't force you to tell me the reason. But please, and this goes to you and your siblings, recite in my class, or your grades will be severely affected."

"Yes, Professor," he replied. "May I leave?"

"Of course, you may go, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Parkinson said. He hurried to the Main Doors and to the pitch. Pansy raised an eyebrow in confusion, but shook her head and proceeded to her office.

* * *

"Poseidon should be here by now," Artemis said, scanning the grounds below for any sign of their youngest brother. "Where is he?"

"You worry too much," Apollo said as he took a sharp turn to avoid a bludger. "Nothing's going to happen to him. He's a big guy; he can take care of himself."

"No, she's right, he should be here by now," Hades said. When he looked over to the direction of the castle, he saw a figure running towards the pitch. He squinted his eyes so he can see who it was.

"There he is," he called out to the others. Artemis took a sharp dive, but landed smoothly. Hades and Apollo followed suit.

"Hey! Where are you going?" their captain, Cadwaller, cried out. Muttering something like, "blasted Malfoys", he called out again, "Okay team, five-minute break!"

"Where in the name of Merlin have you been?" Artemis demanded, making great strides as she went to Poseidon. Poseidon rolled his eyes; he hates it when they treat him like a baby, as they're doing right now. _It's not as if I can't stand on my own,_ Poseidon thought bitterly.

"I'm fine," Poseidon said. "I just bumped into someone, that's all. I swear!" he added, seeing their suspicious faces. "I accidentally knocked her over, and I had to help her."

"Who was it?" Hades asked.

"Professor Parkinson."

"What? Did you talk to her?" Artemis asked.

"Well, yes, of course. She's noticing that we aren't reciting in her class only," Poseidon said.

"Did she ask why?"

"No, fortunately, she didn't. But she said that if we don't recite, it would pull our grades down."

Hades groaned. "Oh, no. There's absolutely no way that I'm going to fail Charms."

"I've no plan to fail as well," Artemis agreed.

"I don't care about what Father told us about her anymore. I'm not going to fail Charms just because of their old school feud!" Apollo stated.

"Hey Malfoys! Quidditch practice, NOW!" Cadwaller called out to them.

"Be there in a sec," Hades shouted back. "We'll talk about this later in the Common Room. Cadwaller looks like he could kill us right now."

Apollo, Artemis and Poseidon nodded in concurrence. The three joined their teammates in the air, while Poseidon proceeded to the stands to watch his siblings.

* * *

"GOOD MORNING HOGWARTS AND WELCOME TO THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON, GRYFFINDOR VERSUS SLYTHERIN!" the commentator's voice boomed all over the pitch. Today was the most awaited day: the start of Quidditch season. Everyone cheered and roared for their teams. However, beneath the stands, the players of Gryffindor and Slytherin were doing everything to calm their nerves.

"Alright, team, this is it. Remember everything we practiced, and just be prepared for anything that could happen," Cadwaller inhaled deeply, ending his pep talk. Gryffindor is being introduced, and anytime now they would be next.

"Don't worry, Rich," Apollo said lightly. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"AND NOW, THE SLYTHERIN TEAM! ACKERLY, FLECK, MALFOY, MALFOY, MCKINLEY, MALFOY AND CADWALLER!"

Cheers erupted once again from the stands. The players positioned themselves, with the captains at the center. Madam Hooch (daughter of the Madam Hooch then) walked towards them.

"We haven't had a single problem in years, so I don't expect you to make havoc in this game. Play fairly, is that clear?" The two captains nodded their heads. "Captains, shake hands." They complied, although their grip on each other's hand was so fierce, it's as though they wanted to crush it.

"Let the games begin!" Madam Hooch said, tossing the quaffle into the air. The battle was on.

* * *

"Draco?" Andrew Fielder peeped into Draco's cubicle.

"What is it, Drew?" Draco asked.

"Someone for you on the Floo."

"Thanks," Draco said, closing the folder he was reading and walked to the fireplace.

"Hey, Blaise," Draco greeted the owner of the head hovering on the fireplace. "What's up?"

Blaise seemed hesitant for a minute. "Well, just calm down for a minute, alright?"

"Why? What is it?"

"Erm… well… don't get your knickers in a twist, but something happened."

"And?"

"Something happened to Artemis. And it's not good."


	4. Gryffindor vs Slytherin

A/N: Alrighty! So I finally updated! You're about to find out what exactly happened to Artemis. I won't delay any longer, so here it is! Be sure to R&R!

* * *

_Apollo took another sharp turn. This was what he hated with being a seeker; you don't do anything until you've seen the snitch. And so far, there's been no sign of even a shadow of that wretched ball. Slytherin was in the lead with 100-60, and it was about time they unleashed yet another tactic. It had been the same for years, Gryffindor playing the _'zero-to-hero'_ thing. He groaned in frustration as he looked around for any sign of that blasted snitch. _

"_APOLLO! STOP HER!" Cadwaller shouted, pointing to something behind him. He spun around to see Lillian carrying the quaffle. She weaved way around bludgers and players as she made her way to the goal. _

Not bloody likely, _Apollo thought as he went after her. Normally, it was just chasers' business, but Slytherins always crawl their way to success don't they? He flew under her and just when she was going to hurl the quaffle to the hoop, he snatched it._

"_MALFOY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Lillian shrieked._

_He gave her a cocky grin as he handed the quaffle to Hades. "I believe I am playing quidditch, Potter. And I am winning."_

_Lillian glared at him. He was about to go on the other side of the pitch when someone shouted his name. _

"_MALFOY! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" Weasley shot a bludger in his way. He made to turn around, but it was too late. He prepared himself for the worst and closed in eyes. A few seconds have passed, but he was still on his broom. He opened his eyes to see Artemis in front of him. She had sent the bludger back to Weasley._

"_Thanks, Arty, you're the best," he said, breathing a sigh of relief._

"_I may not be able to watch out for you next time, Pollo," Artemis said. "Be more careful."_

_He gave her a smile, a true smile that he rarely gave to anyone. She smiled back, but their moment was cut off by another shout from somewhere._

"_TAKE THAT!''_

_They both looked around to see who exactly said that, and Artemis saw him first. It was Clarence Finnegan, his face bearing a triumphant smirk. She raised an eyebrow, thinking that he was going barmy, but then she saw exactly what he was on about. A bludger was directed towards Apollo, and he has just fired another one._

"_APOLLO, MOVE!" she shoved Apollo out of the bludgers' way, taking the hit herself. She heard her ribs crack upon first impact, and heard another crack, this time on her shoulders._

"_ARTEMIS!" he shouted at Artemis's falling form. She was unconscious, he saw. He was frozen in place. His mind told him to dive after her, but his body wouldn't follow. He could only stare at her as she plunged to her death. _

"_ARRESTO MOMENTUM!"_

Wait a minute, _he thought. _She's slowing down. How is that possible?

_In the stands, he saw Professor Parkinson, her arms extended to Artemis's direction. When she saw Artemis slow down, she immediately made her way to the grounds._

"_Apollo?" he saw Hades nudging him at the side. "You alright?"  
_

"_Yeah, I'm fine," he said._

"_Come on," Hades said, making his way to land beside Artemis. He nodded and followed suit._

_When they landed, Professor Parkinson was already performing first-aid spells on her injuries. Poseidon joined them after a few minutes. With a sigh, Professor Parkinson finished the spells._

"_How is she, Professor?" Hades asked. _

"_She has broken ribs and a fracture on her left shoulder. I've applied a temporary cure to her injury, but she'll have to be taken to Madam Pomfrey," Professor Parkinson said. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's a tough girl from what I observe," she added with a reassuring smile after seeing their crestfallen faces. Turning back to Artemis's unconscious form, she muttered, "Mobiliocorpus." Artemis got up, still unconscious. Professor Parkinson walked to the castle, Artemis behind her. The three siblings jogged to follow them to the Hospital Wing._

* * *

And that is exactly the reason why the three Malfoy siblings were all seated around Artemis, who was lying on a hospital bed, still unconscious. Hades and Poseidon glanced at Apollo, who had said nothing since he landed. Apollo, meanwhile, was staring into space, his eyes blank. Looking up on the other two and seeing their faces, he gave a sigh.

"I'm sorry, guys," he finally said. "It's my entire fault. If only I'd been more alert, this wouldn't have happened."

"Don't be ridiculous, Apollo," Hades said. "No one expected that Finnegan was one up for dirty play. If there's anyone to blame, it's him."

Poseidon nodded in agreement. "He's right, Apollo. It's all his fault. And besides, do you think Artemis wants you to mope around like you're doing now?"

Apollo neared Artemis's bed and held her hand. "We also lost the match. Because of me, because I took the quaffle, we lost."

"Didn't you hear? The match was a draw. No one won," Poseidon said. "Both sides performed violations, so Madam Hooch decided it was a tie."

Apollo's face glowed slightly. "You're right," he said, giving them a small smile. "I shouldn't blame myself. Finnegan owes us bigtime."

Professor Parkinson's head peered through the curtains. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said.

"No, not at all, Professor," Hades said.

"Have a seat, Professor," Apollo gestured to the chair he had previously occupied.

"Thanks," she said, taking the offer.

"Professor," Apollo started. "We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for what you have done to our sister. Thank you, Professor Parkinson."

"I only did my job, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Parkinson replied. "But you're very welcome. Can I just ask something from you in return?"

"Anything, Professor," Hades said.

"Don't tell your father anything," Professor Parkinson said, eyes focused on the floor. "Don't tell him anything about my involvement in what happened today."

"But Professor, why? He'd want to know who saved Artemis," Apollo protested.

"Please, just don't tell him," she looked at them with pleading eyes.

The three exchanged a look before Hades said, "Alright, Professor. We promise."

Professor Parkinson looked at them as if to say "thank you", but the words never got out of her mouth. Draco had just entered and went directly to Artemis's side.

"Artemis," he whispered, cupping her cheek. He turned to the other three, completely missing the fact that Pansy was there as well.

"What happened?"

"If you'd been there, you would've known," Apollo spat. "You promised you'd attend our first match, her first match, but you didn't!"

"Apollo, I'm really sorry. I was busy with work-"

"You always say you're busy when you're with your girlfriends!" Apollo shouted. "You promised, Dad! I should've known better than to expect from you." Glaring at Draco, he left the room in fast strides.

"Go after him, Don," Hades told Poseidon with a gesture of his head. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Poseidon complied and ran after Apollo.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Professor," Hades said.

"It's alright, his reaction's perfectly understandable."

Draco turned to see the owner of the voice and saw the person he liked to see the least at the moment.

"Y-You?" Draco spluttered, a dark expression on his face.

"I'd best be going. Excuse me," Pansy muttered as she stood up, her gaze still on the floor. When she had left, he turned to Hades, his face flushed in anger.

"What was she doing here?" Draco said in a low voice, almost a whisper. _Oh, no, _Hades thought. _I know that tone. It's the dangerous tone. _

"She… she just checked in to see how Artemis was," Hades lied.

"I told you to stay away from her," Draco said.

"We didn't exactly have a reason to chuck her out of here, Dad. She could've given us detention, which would be worse," Hades reasoned out. _Let me pull this through, please, God on high._

He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when Draco took a seat beside Artemis's bed. _Oh, thank you, Merlin. _He almost collapsed on another chair as he sat down as well.

"Sorry, Hade," Draco said apologetically. "I didn't mean to take it all out on you. I've been under so much stress lately, with work and all, and now this."

"I understand, Dad," Hades said. "And about Apollo, you know how he is."

Draco released a chuckle. "He's even more protective of her than I am! And to think I'm already her father!"

Hades laughed with him. "Arty's going to have a tough time when the time comes for her to get married."

They stopped laughing and shared a look; it was one of their 'father-son connections'. A meaningful look was all it took for them to understand what the other wanted to say.

"She's going to be fine, Dad," Hades assured him. "She's a tough girl."

"I know," Draco agreed. "She's so like your mother, in ways more than one."

They were cut off by a groan from Artemis. They both looked over to see her eyes opening.

"Dad?"

"I'm here, Arty. I'm here," Draco said soothingly, taking her hand into his. "Go to sleep, love. You need rest." Artemis nodded and closed her eyes again. "You should clean yourself up, Hade. You look as though you've been trampled on by a dozen hippogriffs."

Hades looked at his reflection in the window and saw that his father was right. His hair was much disheveled and his face had dirt on it. He looked at his clothes and saw that it had a lot of mud stains on it. Giving a defeated sigh, he turned to leave.

"Alright, I'll fix myself up first and then try to talk some sense to Apollo and then I'll come back here," Hades said.

"Come back tomorrow morning. Merlin knows you all need rest," Draco replied.

"Are you going to spend the night here?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Alright, then. Night, Dad. Wish me luck with Apollo," Hades said.

"Night, Hade."

* * *

Draco woke up to the sound of footsteps approaching. He groaned slightly; sleeping in a chair was definitely not good for the health. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was about five thirty in the morning. Artemis was still asleep, he observed. _Who could be coming here in this ungodly hour? _He assumed his sleeping position earlier, hoping to catch the culprit behind his wakening this early in the morning. The footsteps grew louder and louder, and he heard the curtain ripple. He opened his eye slightly to see who it was. _What the hell is she doing here?_ He watched her as she placed something on the bedside table and hurried to leave. He immediately ran after her. 

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Draco hissed, grabbing her by the elbow.

"Madam Pomfrey asked me to deliver her medicine to her," Pansy's voice quavered. "Let me go, Draco, you're hurting me."

Draco snorted. "You're one to talk! You don't know anything about pain, _Pansy_. Why did you come back? To get close to my children and do to them the same thing you did to me? Is that it? Answer me!" He was now holding her by the shoulders and shaking her violently.

"Draco, let me go!" she slapped his hand away and ran. Draco glared at her retreating form. After a few seconds, he turned back to the Hospital Wing.

* * *

What they didn't know was that someone had witnessed their episode on the corridor. That particular someone had confusion etched on his face as he heard the door of the Infirmary close. _What was that all about?_


	5. Something Dangerous

A/N: Haha! I just can't resist updating another chap! I may not have the luxury of time next time (?) so I updated. Anyway, read on, guys! And don't forget to review!

* * *

Poseidon stared blankly at the floor, his brows furrowed in confusion. _What the hell was that all about? _he thought to himself. _Was that Father, shouting at Professor Parkinson? Or had it been a clone, a boggart? No, it was definitely a boggart. It can't have been him. Father has never shouted like that, even when he was angry. No, it wasn't him, it couldn't have been… _He repeated this in his head, trying to convince himself that it wasn't their father. He unconsciously dropped the book on his hand as he thought of it. _No, it is him. It's him._ He could feel a prickling sensation in his eyes, but he merely rubbed it off with his hands. 

"Apollo, please consider Father's side," he heard Hades say. Apollo and Hades were a few paces behind him. "He was tired from work. Yes, he did come from work. I asked Uncle Blaise how he contacted Father and he said he Flooed the Department of Mysteries. You really shouldn't be angry with him. And he also told me last night that he did want to come, but his boss wouldn't let him. You have to understand him, Pollo…"

"I do understand him, Hade," Apollo replied. "But he should've been there. He promised her. I don't give a damn about what he told me, what I'm fuming on about was the fact that he promised _her_. He should've been there to save her."

"I know but- Poseidon, are you alright?" Hades asked when he saw Poseidon drop his book. Now that has never happened before.

"Yeah, just caught something in my eye," Poseidon said, rubbing his eyes and picking up the book. "Come on, Dad could be waiting for us."

"You'll fix things up with Dad, won't you, Pollo?" Hades turned to Apollo.

"Yeah, whatever," Apollo shrugged.

They found Draco standing beside Artemis, who was already awake. She gave them a small smile as they entered.

"Artemis! How're you feeling? You okay?" Apollo said upon reaching her.

"I feel lousy, but I'm okay," Artemis said. "You worry too much."

"How can I not worry? It's my fault that you're here right now. I should be the one lying there and you should be the one worrying your head sick over me," Apollo exclaimed.

"Don't blame yourself," Artemis said. "If it's anyone's fault, it's Finnegan's."

"That's what we've been telling him since yesterday, Arty," Hades said. "But, being the stubborn prat that he is, he wouldn't listen to us."

Artemis gave a hearty laugh but flinched and held her side. "Don't make me laugh too hard. It hurts, you know. Don, are you alright? You seem quiet today." Poseidon was looking outside the window, not saying a word since he went inside.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, taking the seat beside the window and opening the book.

"He must've woken up on the wrong side of the bed," Apollo commented.

"Shut up, Apollo," Artemis chided. "Dad, you'd better get some rest. I'll be fine here."

"She's right, Dad," Apollo said. Hesitantly, he added, "I'm sorry about last night, Dad. I didn't mean it."

"It's alright, Apollo," Draco said, giving him a bear hug. "Alright, I'm off. Carlson will have my head; I forgot to tell him I was leaving yesterday." Kissing Artemis on the forehead and giving the other two hugs as well, he left the room. When they heard the door close, they all turned to Poseidon.

"Alright, Don, spit it out," Apollo said. "What's the sitch?"

"You obviously didn't want to say anything in front of Father, that's why we didn't press on the matter," Artemis said.

"Out with it, Don, or we'll force you to say everything," Hades threatened.

Poseidon released a sigh and closed his book. "I can never keep a secret from you, can't I? Alright, listen and listen closely." And he began to recount everything that he had seen, down to the last detail. When he had finished, the other three bore the same expression he had earlier.

"No way," Artemis muttered, her hand on her mouth.

"He couldn't have- Not bloody likely," Apollo whispered.

"Are you certain that it was Father? It could've been a clone, or a boggart," Hades said.

"I'm telling you, it was him," Poseidon said. "I've only recovered from the state of shock that I was in since I saw it. If only we had a pensieve, I could let you see the memory."

"How can he be that violent?" Artemis wondered. "It's unthinkable. It's never happened before."

"I know, but that's what I saw."

No one spoke for a few minutes, until Apollo said suddenly, "I know where we can find a pensieve."

"What? Don't tell me we're going to sneak into the Headmaster's office," Hades said.

"No, you dolt, of course not," Apollo countered. "Sneaking into the Headmaster's office? It's not doable! The gargoyles will tear to from limb to limb! No, there's another place in this castle with a pensieve. But we'll have to wait for Artemis to be discharged from the Infirmary before we can go there."

* * *

Pansy hurried to her office. Why now, of all times, did they have to meet again? She quickly slammed the door to her office and collapsed beside her desk. She choked back a sob; she had been expecting this, but why was she crying? She deserved what she got. Pulling her knees closer to her chest, she continued to sob until someone knocked on her door. She immediately straightened her robes and wiped away the tears. When she had regained her composure, and with her back turned to the door, she announced, "Come in."

"Pansy? Are you alright?"

It was Blaise. She heard the door click and his footsteps getting nearer.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said. _No, I'm far from being fine. _

"Are you sure? I thought I heard you sobbing," Blaise said, concern etched in his voice.

"Yes, I'm sure," Pansy replied, her back still turned to him.

"No, you're not. Draco told me everything. So you've met, huh?"

Pansy finally faced him, tears starting to leak out of her eyes again. She plopped onto her armchair and sobbed. Blaise went to her side and patted her back comfortingly.

"Why wouldn't you tell him? Why wouldn't you tell anyone, for that matter? It'd be a lot easier for the both of you if you'd tell him," Blaise said.

"I can't tell anyone, not even him."

"It's his right to know. He deserves to know."

Pansy merely shook her head. _Oh, dear, _Blaise thought. _This is going to be even harder than I thought._

* * *

Madam Pomfrey insisted that Artemis stay in the Infirmary for at least two weeks, and they all agreed, much to Artemis's chagrin. Finally, after two weeks of seeing only white walls, Artemis was more than happy to go back to her green-and-silver-walled dormitory. 

"Finally, I'm out of there!" Artemis said, plopping onto the nearest couch.

"Hey Artemis! You're alright now?" Friedrich McKinley, the other beater, asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Artemis replied. "Madam Pomfrey made sure of that."

The other people in the Common Room laughed. The whole Quidditch team was there, and most of the House too. Almost everyone was there, except for Apollo.

"Where's Apollo?" she asked Hades, who was seated beside her.

"Dunno," Hades shrugged. "You seen Apollo, Don?"

Poseidon lifted his eyes from the book he was reading, shook his head and dropped his gaze again. Hades only sighed.

"Apollo's been suddenly disappearing since that day."

"That day? Oh, _that _day," Artemis said in realization. "And he hasn't told you what he's up to?"

Hades shook his head. "Nope, not even a word. Ah, speaking of the devil."

The entrance to the Common Room opened and revealed Apollo, who quickly scanned the room. Upon seeing his siblings, he immediately went over to them.

"Get up and come with me," Apollo said in a huff. "Hurry up!"

"Alright, alright," Hades said, doing what he was commanded to do.

"What's the rush, Pollo?" Artemis asked.

"It's nearing curfew," Apollo said. "Poseidon, try to catch up, will you?"

* * *

Apollo led them to the seventh floor in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. He started pacing to and fro. The other three stared at him in confusion. 

"Er, Apollo, what are you doing?" Artemis asked.

"Shhh, you'll see," Apollo said absentmindedly. The other three exchanged looks. It was official; Apollo is officially out of it. After the third pace, Apollo stopped. What was once a blank wall now had a door on it.

"What the hell?" Hades blurted out in surprise. "Tell me I'm not just seeing things. A door has just appeared right in front of our eyes." Looking over at the other two, he proved to himself that it wasn't his eyes playing tricks on him.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come on," Apollo motioned for them to enterthe door.

"Is it safe?" Poseidon said.

"Of course it is. Now come on, we're wasting time."

The other three exchanged looks once again before obliging. When they entered, they saw a beautifully decorated room, and in the middle was the thing they needed the most right now.

"I never knew this room existed," Hades said. "I've always passed Barnabas the Barmy, but there was no door opposite it."

"This room only appears when a person needs it," Apollo explained. "Otherwise they'd only see a blank wall."

"And how, pray tell, did you come across this room?" Artemis asked.

"Last year, I was trying to hide from Filch. I accidentally splattered mud on the hallway he had just mopped. I ran over here and entered the nearest broom cupboard I could find. I didn't know it was this. A house elf explained to me how this room worked, and since then I started hanging out here," Apollo said. "Only a few know about this room, I've been told."

"Why didn't you tell us anything?"

Apollo gave them a guilty grin. "Escaped my mind, perhaps?"

"Oh, well, what's important is that we're here now with a pensieve," Hades said. "Does anyone know how this works?"

Poseidon gave a nod. "I've read something from Dad's library. And I've also seen Dad place his memories on his pensieve."

"What? How did you-"

"Sometimes I sneaked in his library at night to read some books that are, well, forbidden. And it just so happened that Father placed his pensieve there," Poseidon said with a shrug. Hades and Artemis gaped at him in disbelief. Apollo, on the other hand, had a smirk on his face.

"I always knew you had it in you, little brother," he said, giving Poseidon a pat on his back. "The Sorting Hat never lies. Although, I must say that you fooled me there. Good acting."

"Anyway," Artemis interrupted. "Back to the issue at hand. How does it work, Don?"

"It's simple, really," Poseidon said, nearing the pensieve. He took out his wand and placed the tip on his temple. He slowly withdrew it, a silvery wisp coming out. He placed this wisp on the pensieve and smirked in triumph.

"It's done," he said smugly.

"Well done, Poseidon," Hades said. "Now, shall we?" He, Artemis and Apollo touched the liquid substance inside the basin and they were taken back to what Poseidon saw.

"It's true," Artemis whispered when they finished viewing it.

"What could've happened?" Hades asked to himself. "What could she have done to make him that angry?"

"She was a Slytherin, right?" Apollo asked. Nods came from his siblings. "And she's in the same year as Dad's, wasn't she?" Another set of collective nods.

"What are you getting at, Apollo?" Hades asked irritably.

"If there's one person who knows Dad the best, it's Uncle Blaise," Apollo said. "He should know what exactly happened between them."

"D'you think he'd tell us?" Artemis said. "Of course, Dad told him not to tell us anything, like he always does."

"It's either he tells us, or we'll have to find out for ourselves," Apollo said with a wicked grin. His three siblings exchanged looks that clearly said: _Oh, no, Apollo's up to something again. Something dangerous._


	6. Out of the Bag

A/N: Update update! Finally! I've been wanting to write this for ages, but I had no time to do so. It's quite long, in my opinion, longer than any other chapter in this fic, that is. A warning, though, there's a swear word somewhere. Well, folks, enjoy and don't forget to R&R!

* * *

"Alright, don't forget your homework, two rolls of parchment, to be handed in next meeting," Blaise announced to his First Year class. This was met with groans of frustration. 

"But Sir, that's tomorrow!" exclaimed Bonnie Thomas from the back of the room.

"Failure to comply with the deadline means a T," Blaise interjected. "You were saying, Miss Thomas?"

"Nothing, Sir," Bonnie mumbled in reply.

"Are there any more questions?" Blaise asked. No one answered; they were all glaring hard at him. Blaise pretended not to see anything. "Well then, dismissed!"

Grumbling, the students fixed their things and left the room. Blaise proceeded to stacking the parchments on his desk, his back turned to the door. He didn't notice someone lagged behind, glancing at the door every few minutes. Finally, three heads appeared in the doorframe, peeking inside the room.

"What the bloody hell took you so long?" Poseidon hissed, nearing the three.

"Sorry, Don, Weasley dismissed us late," Hades explained.

"Oh, well, come on then," Poseidon ushered them inside.

"Hey Uncle Blaise," Apollo called out. Blaise turned around to see Draco's children approaching him. He waved at them and gave them a small smile.

"Hey," he greeted. "What are you all doing here?"

"Well, you see, Uncle Blaise, we need to ask you something," Artemis said.

"About?"

"It's something important," Hades said.

Blaise looked at the four and raised an eyebrow. _What are they up to this time? _he thought to himself.

"Alright then, follow me to my office."

Blaise's office was a simple one; the desk was there, a fireplace on the wall, a couch for the guests, and there were shelves filled with books regarding Dark Arts Defenses and the Dark Arts itself. The four sat on the couch as Blaise settled himself on his armchair.

"So, what is this all about?" he asked.

The children shared looks, as if prompting the other to say what it was. Blaise watched them for a few seconds before rolling his eyes.

"Well? Are you going to tell me anything at all?" Blaise asked again.

"Oh, alright, I'll say it," Hades said exasperatedly, glaring at the others. "Well, you see, Uncle Blaise…" He proceeded to tell him a brief summary of what Poseidon saw. "And we wanted to ask you… well, we've been meaning to ask you what is it exactly Professor Parkinson did to father? We've never seen him that angry before, or at least Poseidon hasn't," he added as an afterthought, suddenly remembering that they shouldn't have seen Poseidon's memory at all.

"Well," Blaise started. "I'm sorry but I can't help you with that because as you-"

"But Uncle Blaise-"

"Surely you can tell us-"

"Just a bit, please-"

"Please, Uncle Blaise-"

Blaise raised a hand to quiet them down. Apollo opened to say something more, but decided against it and leaned on the couch, arms crossed over his chest. He looked at them for a short while before continuing.

"As I was saying a while ago, I can't help you with that. You know your father trusts me with his secrets, and I do not intend to break that trust. Furthermore, it is not my business, so I will not say anything. Why don't you just ask him?"

Apollo scoffed. "As if he tells us anything. Don't you think we tried, Uncle Blaise?"

"We've tried a dozen times to get something from his Hogwarts days out of him," Hades said. "But he just avoids the subject."

Artemis nodded. "That's why we asked you, Uncle Blaise, but you wouldn't tell us as well."

"Father said they never got on well," Poseidon said quietly. "But why wouldn't they when he even got along with the Death Eaters in Slytherin then?"

"Just forget what you saw, Poseidon," Blaise said. "And the same goes for you three. Your father will tell you everything when he sees that the time is right. He will tell you when you're mature enough to understand."

"But what about you? You told Elise and Elliot everything about your past," countered Apollo. "It's so unfair."

"You have to understand what situation your father is in. I told my children anything because I knew they would easily understand me and why I did those things. Your father, on the other hand, has experienced things far greater and far worse than I have. Perhaps until now, he's still having a hard time coping with it. He will tell you when he is ready and when he is sure you will understand him."

The children exchanged a look again. Blaise inwardly laughed at their stubbornness. _They really are Malfoys, _he thought. _As stubborn as their father is. _He stood up from his seat and made to the door.

"Let's go to dinner, you lot," Blaise said. "Don't let those things get to your head just yet. There'll be a time for that. Now come on, I'm starving. And don't forget the assignment I gave you, Poseidon, you're not excused."

Poseidon groaned as he and the others stood up and followed Blaise out the door. He had almost forgotten about that bloody homework. This is going to be a long night…

* * *

Pansy watched as her students tried to perform the spell they were learning today. Some were trying so hard to do it but simply can't (reminded her of Longbottom), but there were others who managed to do it effortlessly. She focused on Apollo and Artemis Malfoy. They waved their wands carelessly while saying the incantation, but they still managed to perform it correctly. _They are so like their father, getting high grades without really making an effort, _she thought and she suddenly remembered what had happened a few weeks ago. She shrugged it off her mind and approached Charlie Weasley. 

"Stop, stop," Pansy said as he held his hand. "You're doing it the wrong way. Here, let me show you." She demonstrated once again how the handwork was. She wondered how exactly she ended up as a teacher. Back in her Hogwarts days, no one would've imagined that she would be teaching here. She was awakened from her stupor when someone knocked on the door.

"Pansy?" Blaise peered into the room.

"What is it?"

"May I have a word, just for a short while?"

"Of course," Pansy nodded, then turned to her class. "Continue practicing the spell I asked you to practice. Behave, alright?" She got murmurs of "yes" for an answer and she stepped outside the room.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Erm… Lupin asked me to inform everyone that we will be having a meeting tonight at the faculty room," Blaise said.

"And?"

"Can't I keep anything from you now?"

"It's quite obvious, you know. So spill."

"Alright. Draco's son saw what happened between you and Draco a few weeks back," Blaise started. Pansy let out a gasp. "I know, so this is what I really want to tell you. If they ever ask you anything, just answer you can't help them. If they find something out, Draco's going to kill me. So, for the love of Merlin and Morgana and for all our sakes, please don't tell them anything."

Pansy's eyes hardened at this. "Don't worry, I won't tell them anything. I don't intend to."

Their conversation was cut short by shouts coming from the classroom. Pansy and Blaise shared a look first before rushing into the room to find out what happened.

* * *

"Continue the spell I asked you to practice. Behave, alright?" Professor Parkinson said to the class. 

Apollo and Artemis both muttered a "yes" before going back to the spell they were trying to do. It can be found on the last pages of their book, which isn't exactly what they were discussing right now, but who said they couldn't do advance studies?

"Congrats, Artemis, you're out of the Infirmary."

The twins looked up to see Clarence Finnegan smirking at them. They shared a look before nodding in agreement. He is so going down.

"Why, thank you for noticing, Finnegan," Artemis said mock-sweetly. "I really must thank you, for if I remember correctly, you were the reason I was there in the first place."

"Don't forget that you still owe us, Finnegan," Apollo said through gritted teeth.

"I don't owe anything from the sons and daughter of a Death Eater," Clarence hissed.

Apollo looked at him venomously, his grey eyes flickering with rage. "What did you say?" he said in a low, dangerous voice.

Artemis tried to stop him as he walked towards Clarence, but he slapped her hand away. He stopped walking when he was finally standing in front of him.

"Clarence, that's enough," Lillian said, placing a hand on Clarence's arm. He shrugged her hand away as well and dared take a step closer to Apollo.

"No, Lillian, I will show this _Death Eater spawn_ how people like _him_ should be treated."

"How dare you," Apollo hissed. "How dare you call my father a Death Eater! FUCK YOU!"

He threw a punch straight at Clarence's nose. He smirked as he heard a crack. Clarence lunged at him and hit him on the jaw. They were now rolling on the floor, one trying to strangle the other to death. It took six people, three on each, to tear them apart.

"You have no right to call my father a Death Eater, do you hear me, Finnegan? You don't know him!" Apollo shouted as Artemis tried to hold him back. _Do you? Do you know your own father, Apollo?_ He shrugged the thought off and focused on Finnegan.

"Once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy, isn't it Apollo?" Clarence shouted back. Apollo tried to lunge at him again but a voice stopped him from doing so.

"What in Merlin's name is going on in here?"

The whole room suddenly grew quiet as Professor Parkinson strode into the room, wand in hand. The others immediately gave way for her to come through to where Apollo and Clarence are.

"Can anyone please tell me what this ruckus is all about?" Professor Parkinson asked.

"Professor," It was Lillian who spoke. "It was all Clarence's fault. Artemis and Apollo were minding their own business when Clarence started taunting them. He also insulted their father by calling him a-"

"A what, Miss Potter?"

Lillian hesitated for a second. "A-a Death Eater, Professor. He also called them Death Eater spawns. Apollo's reaction was only natural, in my opinion."

Apollo stood there frozen, mouth hanging. Has Lillian just defended him? Now there's an improvement. He saw Professor Zabini standing by the door, observing the whole scene. Professor Parkinson looked at Lillian, then Clarence and Apollo before breathing deeply.

"Would you also say the same to me, Mr. Finnegan," Professor Parkinson said quietly. "If I told you that my parents were Death Eaters?"

"No, Professor," Clarence mumbled almost incoherently.

"Because they were."

Several people gasped. Apollo and Artemis looked at each other in disbelief. Clarence stiffened at the revelation. Professor Parkinson looked at their faces, all bearing different reactions.

"My parents were Death eaters. Now, would you classify me as a Death Eater as well? Here, roll up my sleeves, Mr. Finnegan," she said, extending her arms to Clarence. Hands shaking, Clarence obliged and rolled up her sleeves. Nothing. Her arms were pale, but blank. There was no Dark Mark.

"Do not judge anyone based on their parents' actions," she said, arranging her sleeves. "I am not a Death Eater, although my parents were. The same is true with Mr. Malfoy's father; his parents may have been Death Eaters, but it didn't mean that he had to follow in their footsteps. And I agree with Miss Potter, his reaction was completely natural.

"Twenty points will be deducted from each of you, for assault," The Slytherins looked at Blaise, telling him to stop her, but he merely shook his head. "I think ten more from Slytherin for Mr. Malfoy's use of very colorful words, and thirty more from Gryffindor for the insult."

"But Professor-" Clarence made to protest but Pansy raised a hand to silence him.

"If you have any problems with the deductions, Mr. Finnegan, approach your Head of House. I will talk to her. I also suggest that you take Remedial History of Magic, seeing as you clearly haven't learned anything from Professor Binns." Then, turning to the rest of the class, she said, "You're running late for your next class. Dismissed."

Students slowly shuffled around the room, gathering their things and heading for the door. Clarence was rooted to the ground for a few minutes, before he noticed that only a few students were left. He slung his bag on his shoulders and left in a huff.

Pansy watched him as he left. Blaise bowed his head slightly before leaving the room as well, closing the door behind him as he did. Pansy collapsed on a nearby chair, releasing an exhausted sigh. _What a lesson that was._

* * *

Apollo and Artemis related the whole incident to Hades. Poseidon was missing again, probably researching at the library. Hades looked positively livid when they ended. 

"He said that?" Hades hissed, glaring at the back of Clarence's head. "He dared say that after what he did to Arty? You should've finished him off when you had the chance, Apollo."

"Hades!" Artemis admonished. "And you're supposed to be the mature one. It's a good thing Professor Parkinson arrived before they strangled each other to death."

"About that," Hades suddenly said. "She said her parents were Death Eaters too, right?" The other two nodded. "Then Grandfather and Grandmother must've known her parents."

"Yeah, which doesn't add up to what Father told us," Apollo said.

Artemis was about to say something when Poseidon came rushing to them. He took his usual seat beside Hades and tried to catch his breath.

"What happened to you?" Apollo asked.

"I have something to show you," Poseidon said, standing up again. "Follow me!" He had taken off again. The three raised their eyebrows at him before following him.

Poseidon had led them to the library, but when they arrived, he was already inside. They looked around and saw him seated on a table.

"Poseidon, what is this all about?" Hades asked.

"It's with Lillian," Poseidon said, motioning to Lillian and Adele Weasley, who were seated a few spaces away from him. They were pointing to a book they were reading, giggling as they turned the pages. Apollo made his way to them but Hades stopped him.

"Maybe I should do it," Hades offered. "She wouldn't hand it over if you asked her."

"Fine," Apollo grumbled.

Hades walked to where Lillian and Adele were seated and cleared his throat to get their attention. They both looked up, and Lillian's face suddenly turned as red as her hair.

"Erm, hi," he said awkwardly. "I was wondering if I could borrow the book you're reading."

"O-of course," Lillian stammered, handing the book to him.

"Thanks," Hades said, giving them a small smile and walking back to where his siblings were.

"I have it."

"Good," Poseidon said, grabbing the book from his hand. "By the way, I heard about what happened in your Charms class, Arty. Don't worry, he will pay for it. Very dearly."

"Yeah, he's such a bastard-"

Apollo stepped away from his siblings and casually made his way to where Lillian and Adele were. He had his back turned to them, pretending to read a book, but he was really trying to listen in on their conversation.

"D'you think he noticed me blush?" Lillian whispered.

"No, I don't think so," Adele replied. "If he did, he didn't react, so it's okay. Your secret's not out of the bag yet."

"I couldn't stop myself from blushing, especially when he smiled, it was so-"

Apollo made his way back to his siblings, knowing full well that if he could only see her, she would've been swooning. Swooning over Hades. _She likes Hades, _Apollo thought to himself. _Your secret is so out of the bag, Lillian._

"Where were you?" Poseidon asked.

"Just having a look around," Apollo mumbled.

"Anyway," Poseidon interjected. "Here it is." He showed them a page of the book. It was a book containing articles about the Second War. The article in question was about their father. They read the specific page, and were shocked by its content:

_Draco Malfoy is the leader of the House of Slytherin. Although he was the only son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, who were both known Death Eaters, he went against their beliefs and led the Slytherin Rebellion, a band of Slytherins who fought with the side of Light. Together with Pansy Parkinson, they were called the "Royalties of Slytherin". Rumors were that they had been together from Yule Ball in their Fourth Year until Miss Parkinson disappeared during the conclusion of the Second War. Turn to page 14 for more…_

They needn't read more, it gave them all the information they needed. The four ran out of the library and into a certain room on the Seventh Floor…


	7. Formulations of a Most Brilliant Plan

A/N: Yey! Another chap! I'm so happy! A big thank you to all your reviews! I may not be able to say this often, but my dear readers, your reviews are greatly appreciated. I really mean it. THANK YOU!

Another thing. **Miss Anthrope** brought to my attention something that I've failed to ask you guys before. Do the children seem like Mary Sues and Gary Stus? I'm not offended or anything, Miss Anthrope. In fact, I would like to thank you for mentioning it. But I would suggest reading the entire thing first before critiquing it. Anyway, my dear readers, please answer this. And of course, don't forget to R&R!

* * *

"So let's just get this straight," Hades said, pacing around the Room of Requirement. "Dad and Professor Parkinson were-" 

"Had an intimate relationship," nodded Artemis. "But everything between them ended when-"

"When Professor Parkinson left at the end of the Second War," continued Poseidon. "But the question is: why? Why did she leave?"

"Well, she said her parents were Death Eaters, didn't she?" Apollo said. "Maybe it had something to do with them. Perhaps she thought she would be arrested for being their daughter."

"No, that couldn't have been it," Hades argued. "I mean, look at Dad. His parents were also Death Eaters, but he wasn't caught. So it doesn't make any sense at all."

Silence overtook their debate. Each one was engrossed with forming speculations with regards to the current topic. Apollo observed her siblings, his eyes traveling from one to the other. When his eyes landed on Hades, he suddenly remembered something.

"Hades," he said, catching the other boy's attention. He suddenly began to feel self-conscious. "Erm- well, I was just wondering-"

"Just spit it out, Apollo," Hades interjected.

"What do you think of Lillian?"

Hades looked at him as though he had grown another head. Cocking an eyebrow, he asked, "Why do you ask?"

"I just noticed, well, you know I observe her often, right?" At this Hades nodded. "Well, I noticed that whenever you get close to her, she suddenly becomes quiet. She changes whenever you're near her."

"Now that you mentioned it," Artemis said. "I also notice whenever you talk to her, or just even look her way, she blushes ten shades of red. She also stammers whenever she speaks to you. And you know this could only mean one thing-"

"It means she likes you," Poseidon finished. "She finds you attractive and she has a crush on you."

"Yes, you didn't need to spell it out for me, Don, I understand," Hades said. Then turning to Apollo, he added, "Why do you ask? Because you're jealous?"

Apollo looked at him incredulously. "I am not jealous!" he huffed indignantly. Seeing the looks on his siblings' faces, he rolled his eyes. "Alright, partially I am jealous. But I'm asking because I need to know. You might just be giving her false hopes, and in the end you'll only be hurting her."

"Who are you and what have you done with our brother?" Poseidon blurted out.

"You're actually serious about her? I mean, you like her _that _much?" Artemis said.

"Yes, of course I do! Did you really think I was just fooling around?"

"Well, yeah. We all thought it was just a crush, and that it will go away when you become mature," Artemis shrugged.

Apollo looked to see whether Hades agrees with their siblings, but he was smiling at him. Apollo cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What the hell are you smiling about?"

"Nothing," Hades replied. "I'm just happy you're really planning on taking her seriously. I mean, almost all the female population in Hogwarts likes you. I overheard a Fifth Year saying that it's a pity you weren't older, or else they would've gone on like everyone else."

"Everyone except her," Apollo muttered. "So, what do you think of her?"

Hades had to let out a hearty laugh at his face. It was a very stern look, similar to their father's when he scolds them. He composed himself once more and looked at Apollo straight in the eye.

"Apollo, I can never think of Lillian as more than how I think of Artemis. I only see her as my sister, nothing more. I can assure you, you've got no competitor with me. Finnegan, on the other hand, is a different case."

"That bastard still has to pay for what he did to Artemis and for what he said about Father. That vermin thinks he's Lillian's boyfriend! Anyway, compared to him, I'm a better bloke," Apollo said.

"And just so you know, I wouldn't be giving her false hopes, seeing as I've told her already that I'm not interested with her in that way," Hades said. Apollo stared, or rather gaped at him in disbelief.

"She already – er – confessed to me her feelings. I told her –and in a nice way," he added after seeing Apollo's glare. "That I looked at her as my sister only, and that isn't about to change. I also told her that she'll grow out of it; it's only a crush anyway."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me she liked you?" Apollo asked, but it was Artemis who answered.

"Apollo, don't tell me you've only started to notice how she is around Hades just now? It's been so obvious, ever since we were children. We thought you just didn't mind."

"Well, no use talking about that now," Apollo shrugged. "Although I would've appreciated it if you told me."

"Now that that's taken care of, can we go back to the previous issue?" Poseidon asked irritably.

"Of course, sorry Don," Apollo said.

"So, going back to Dad and Professor Parkinson," Artemis said. "What do you suggest we do about it?"

"What d'you mean? You want us to set them up? Dad currently has a girlfriend, mind you," Hades said.

"Not to mention that Dad hates her right now and that there are rumors going around about Uncle Blaise and Professor Parkinson," Apollo muttered.

"Rumors?"

"Well, there have been rumors going on about the two of them being together. They are constantly seen together, even in Hogsmeade. I think there were also pictures of Uncle Blaise with her arms around her, courtesy of Creevy."

Silence fell among the siblings again. It seems like a lost battle already, if ever the rumors are true. They also have to find out why Professor Parkinson left. There are still so many questions, questions which need answers right away.

"Well then," Hades said, finally breaking the silence. "We first need to see if the rumors are indeed true. After that, we can formulate our game plan."

* * *

They decided that the best way to confirm if the rumors are true is by directly asking the people involved. They didn't need to worry about Blaise; they knew he was still smitten with Daphne, so no worries. No one wanted to ask Professor Parkinson, however. 

"Come on, guys! Why don't you want to ask her?" Hades asked.

"Speak for yourself, Hades," Apollo spat. "Ask her then, if you're so brave. What are you waiting for?"

"I'm not a Gryffindor, you know. I don't possess much of that courage stuff."

"What about you, Artemis?" Apollo said. "You'd be able to connect with her, you're both females anyway."

"What? You want me to come up to her and ask out of the blue, 'Professor, is it true that you're dating Professor Zabini?' You're barking mad!" Artemis replied.

"Cut it out, you lot," Poseidon interjected. "Why don't we all just ask her, since we all want the information so badly?"

The other three shared a look. Then, looking at Poseidon, they grabbed him by the arms and hauled him near where Professor Parkinson is.

"Oi, what do you think you're doing?" he asked as he struggled out of their grasp.

"You're going to do it," Apollo said matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"Everyone falls for your charms, Poseidon, because you're the youngest. Good luck!" Hades whispered as they ran away, leaving him there. Poseidon could only stare at his siblings' retreating figures.

"They're gonna regret this one day," Poseidon muttered to himself. Turning around, he found himself once again bumping into Professor Parkinson, literally.

"We always seem to be running into each other, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Parkinson commented.

"Er-yeah," Poseidon muttered. "Sorry for that again, Professor."

"It's quite alright," Professor Parkinson said with a smile. "Well, since you're already here, why don't you help me with these?"

Poseidon took the proffered stack of parchments into his arms and started walking alongside her. This was the first time he ever got to take a good look at her. She looked so different from the woman in the articles. Her hair was now up to her waist and her face seemed more mature, although he had to admit she was more beautiful now. He seemed to have been staring at her for quite a while, because Professor Parkinson took notice of it.

"Is there anything on my face, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Er- no, Professor. There's nothing on your face."

"Then why have you been staring-" she stopped herself, and Poseidon thought she already knew why. "You heard what had happened in my class, didn't you? I suppose your brother or your sister told you. Just fire away whatever question you might have."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that," Poseidon lied. "Er- if I may be so blunt, why didn't you turn into one of them? You could've, but you didn't. Why?"

"Well, you know that I came from a bigoted pureblood family, right?"

Poseidon nodded, all thought of his real purpose gone. "Yes, just like Dad."

She cleared her throat and continued. "I decided I didn't want to be like them. I reflected on our, or rather their principles, and I realized it was all wrong. So what if the muggles didn't have any magic in them? They're still human like us. And if we were such a powerful pureblood family, then why is it that we allow a _halfblood_ to order us around? I mean, why follow someone who they consider to be lower than them? In my opinion, all of my ancestors who followed Voldemort were idiots. I decided I didn't want to have any part of their stupidity, so I joined the Rebellion."

"The Rebellion? You were in the Slytherin Rebellion with Father?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Yes, we were both in the Rebellion. He and I, along with everyone else in it, were united in that thinking. People may have had doubts at first, but growing up in that kind of environment and that kind of people, we contributed a lot to the Light. And I can tell you, the shift of loyalties was worth it."

Poseidon didn't say anything, and they continued to walk in silence. The hallway was deserted; not even a ghost could be seen. Laughter can be heard in the distance.

"Professor," Poseidon said quietly. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you disappear after the Second War? Where did you go?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Parkinson replied. "No one needs to why I left and where I've been."

"Oh."

They had finally reached her office. Poseidon placed the parchments carefully on her desk and turned to leave, and suddenly he remembered what he was doing there in the first place.

"Professor," he said, turning to face her. Professor Parkinson looked up from her desk (as she had begun scanning the papers) and raised an eyebrow.

"Er- I've been hearing rumors, and I wanted to know if it was true."

"What rumors?"

"Rumors of you and Professor Zabini being together. Is it true?"

Professor Parkinson's laughter echoed throughout the entire room. When she had composed herself, she gave Poseidon an incredulous look.

"Me and Blaise? Dating? Mr. Malfoy, whoever your sources are, they're wrong. We have been good friends when we were at school, and we were both in the Rebellion, but there's nothing else. And you know that he's still in love with Daphne, don't you?" Poseidon nodded, inwardly sighing in relief. _So there's a slim chance of her being with Dad. Brilliant, I'm starting to like her more and more, _he thought as he gave a sheepish grin.

"Thank you for the assistance, Mr. Malfoy. You may leave. And tell your sources what I've told you," Professor Parkinson said with a chuckle.

"Yes, Professor. I will," Poseidon replied as he went out.

* * *

"What's taking Poseidon so long?" Apollo grunted as they sat in the Slytherin Common Room. "Is it so hard to ask her if they're together?" 

"You couldn't even go yourself, Apollo," Artemis replied.

"And like what Artemis said, it isn't all that easy approaching your professor and asking her about her personal life, her love life to be specific," Hades added.

Apollo heaved a sigh. "But you have to admit, it's been a while since we left him there. I expected him to be here ages ago."

As if on cue, the door opened and Poseidon strolled to where they were. He sat down beside Hades, and they waited for him to talk, but instead, he immediately grabbed a book from his bag and opened it.

"Hey! Don't you have anything to say to us?" Apollo demanded, throwing a pillow at his face.

"After you deliberately agreed amongst yourselves that I be the sacrificial lamb? After you left me there without absolutely any warning that Professor Parkinson was already behind me? No bloody way! If you want to find out, ask her yourself," Poseidon spat.

"Come on, Poseidon," Artemis pleaded. "Alright, we know what we did was wrong. We're sorry for it, aren't we, boys?" The other two nodded. "So please, tell us."

Poseidon scrutinized their faces; they were all putting up their best innocent look. _I can read through those looks, you dolts, _he thought as he rolled his eyes and continued to read.

"Hey! We said sorry already, didn't we?" Apollo exclaimed, but Hades told him to shut up. He flashed a glare at Hades before leaning on the couch, placing his arms over his chest as he did.

"I was just about to speak before you interrupted," Poseidon said, his eyes still on the book he was reading. "She told me that they didn't have any relationship aside from friendship. And just a note, she was laughing when she told me that. She found the whole rumor absolutely hilarious. I felt utterly humiliated. She might now think I'm someone who listens to gossip. So yes, my pride has just been broken to pieces."

"So," Hades started. "So they were never together?"

"Never have, never will."

"But what were those pictures all about, then?" Apollo said. "I saw them myself, and Creevy'd better not be making the whole thing up."

"Maybe it was just, you know, a show of comfort. They are friends, after all. Hades does that to Elise," Artemis pointed out.

"Well, it's not really just a show of comfort, with Hades and Elise," Apollo said. "You like her, don't you, Hade?"

"Absolutely not!" Hades said indignantly. "She's only my friend, and I can never imagine myself thinking about her that way. How I feel for Lillian is the same thing with her."

Apollo shrugged and didn't reply, and silence was upon them again. The only sound to be heard was Poseidon's turning of pages, and Artemis begun to hum softly. Hades got out a book, some parchments and quill from his bag and proceeded with his homework.

"What are we going to do, then?" Artemis asked out of the blue. The other three looked at her and shrugged.

"I don't know," Hades replied. "We don't even know if it's possible to even get them to see each other again…"

"We don't even know why Dad's so angry with her," Poseidon added.

"Do you guys remember what the article said? The bit about her disappearing right after the War?" Apollo said. At this, his siblings nodded. "That's the most probable reason why he's angry with her: because she left."

"Let's pretend that your assumption is correct, Apollo," Hades said. "The question now is: how do we get them to talk to each other without that incident happening again?" The incident he was referring to was the one Poseidon witnessed. Everyone suddenly looked grim.

"There's absolutely no way that can happen," Poseidon said. "I mean, them talking without biting each other's head off? We all know Dad when he's angry. I can't imagine that happening."

"This is hopeless," Artemis groaned in frustration. "We can't even get them to meet again!"

"Wait," Apollo said suddenly. "There is a way. Alright, come closer and I'll tell you my plan."

Huddling closer, they listened to what Apollo had to say. It wasn't everyday that Apollo would come up with a plan, but when he did, it was usually an ingenious one. As expected, it was.

"You know, that might just work," Hades said after settling himself one again. "It all makes sense. That's a very good plan, Pollo, and I suggest that we use it. What do you think, guys?"

"Well, it is a good one," Poseidon said. "If we'd ignore the massive reprimanding I'm sure we'd get afterwards, and the fact that it a very Gryffindorish thing to do, it's a very good one, and seeing as we have no other plan, we could make it work."

"I agree with you two," Artemis said. "So, when are we going to start?"

"Tomorrow would do, but our deadline is Christmas," Apollo said with a glint in his eye. It's been said that Malfoys always get what they want; now it's time to prove it.


	8. Phase One and The Four Leaf Clover

A/N: I AM SO SORRY! Our teachers literally bombarded us with schoolwork! Homeworks here, projects there, and there's the Julius Caesar play. But finally, exams are over! We're free (for now) and so I finally found the time to finish this.

Anyway, you know the drill. **I don't own anything aside from the children and a new character** (guess who!). Forgive the mistakes I made. I won't hold you back any longer. READ AND THEN REVIEW!

* * *

Days passed by quickly, and before anyone knew it, December had arrived. The grounds were covered in snow and no one ever dared to leave their dormitories without at least their coats and scarves. In fact, the Infirmary had to double their production of Pepperup Potion to accommodate all the students who were down with colds and flu. However, the thought of the Holidays was enough to warm up the students' moods. There were just some students who seemed unenthused to go home for Christmas. 

"Why does time have to fly so bloody fast?" Hades grumbled as he drank from his goblet one chilly morning. Tasting its content, he spewed it back out. "Why the bloody hell does this contain milk? Apollo, you need this, you're a growing boy."

Apollo stared right back at him. "I am already a grown boy, in case you failed to notice. Poseidon," placing the goblet into his hands, "_you_ need this since you're the growing boy." Poseidon glowered at him, but took it nonetheless. Turning to Hades, Apollo asked, "That's the second time you've said 'bloody hell' today, and that's a record for you. What's with you today?"

"Don't you see? It's only weeks before the Holidays, and still we haven't done anything about our plan! This is a hopeless case, I'm afraid," he sighed.

"You give up easily, dear brother," Apollo said. "I've got it all figured out, and you are our key to make this work to our favor."

"How is he going to do that, exactly?" Artemis, who had just arrived, asked as she took her usual seat beside him.

"Well, I've been hanging out in the library for the past couple of weeks," At this, his siblings gaped at him, but he didn't seem to notice. "And I noticed that Professor Parkinson is always there. She looks like she's doing a research of some sort. She even went inside the Restricted Section a few times. I think she needs some help, and who better to do it than our resident model student?"

"Okay, that makes some sense, but how do we go about it?"

"Right, huddle in and I'll tell you the finer points of my plan."

* * *

"Hade," Elise started as they were walking to the library. "I noticed Apollo's been visiting the library. What's happened to him? Maybe he'd better have a lie-down." 

"Really?" Hades asked innocently. "Maybe he's starting to find comfort in books."

"That'd only happen when I start seeing pigs fly," she snorted. Hades opened the door to the library and she entered. "Look, he's here again!"

True enough, he saw Apollo seated on a desk, seemingly engrossed with the book in his hands. Hades had to contain his smirk; he had to admit Apollo was a convincing actor.

Turning to Elise, he said, "Why don't you find us some seats? I need to talk to brother dearest." Elise nodded and walked away. He approached Apollo and tapped him at the back. Apollo casually turned his head to his direction.

"Took you long enough," Apollo said. "She's in Charms section. You know what to do?"

"Yeah. Wish me luck." With that, he turned to proceed to Charms section. He immediately began scanning books when he saw her. He walked closer, and closer, and closer, until…

BAM!

"Oh I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, picking up the books now scattered on the floor. _Phase One is now in full swing…_

"I-It's alright," Professor Parkinson said. When she looked up to see who bumped into her, she added, "Mr. Malfoy, you seem to have developed the habit of your brother that is crashing into me."

"I'm really sorry, Professor. I was overly absorbed in my own world for a while there," Hades replied.

"Yes, so I noticed. Anyway, no harm done," Professor Parkinson said, taking the books from his arms. He didn't give it to her.

"Let me help you with these, Professor," he said. "I really insist."

Professor Parkinson eyed him skeptically, as if making out what his motive was. He gave her his most innocent smile. After a few moments, she nodded.

"Alright, then. If you really insist."

As they walked out of the library, they passed by where Apollo was seated. They shared a knowing look, then Apollo gestured to something behind him. Quirking an eyebrow, he turned to see Elise approaching him.

"What took you so long? Where are you going?"

"I'll be back in a jiffy. I just need to help Professor Parkinson with these," he said, motioning to the stack of books in his arms.

"Alright, then, but hurry. I still can't make out that bloody Potions essay."

Nodding, he turned to follow Professor Parkinson, who was waiting for him at the door. They proceeded along the corridor without a word and only the sounds of their footsteps could be heard. _And now, for the million-galleon question… _

"Professor," he suddenly said. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you going to do for the Holidays? Aside from checking papers, that is."

"To tell you the truth, I also don't know myself."

"Haven't you got any family to go to?"

"I suppose I could visit my brother," Hades noticed that her voice quavered when she mentioned her brother. Apparently, he had touched a nerve. "But aside from that, and checking papers, I think I'll be staying here for the rest of the vacation."

"I don't mean to sound forward, Professor, but there's an annual Christmas dinner at out house and I- well, I was wondering if you could join us for that evening."

"I don't- Does your father know about this?"

"Erm-well, he'll be alright with it, I suppose. But please, Professor, I can't bear the thought that you'd spend Christmas alone. Hasn't Professor Zabini mentioned it, the dinner?"

"He has, but I don't think I should go. Your father doesn't even know. And besides, it seems rude to intrude. It's a family affair, after all."

"Professor, I assure you, you are most welcome." They had already reached the office. He laid the papers on the desk carefully. "Father won't be too much of a problem. And it's not so much of a family thing. The Potters, Weasleys, Zabinis and some more family friends will be coming over; it's not intruding at all. So, will you come?"

She hesitated to answer for a minute. What if he was _not _alright with her coming? What is this boy playing at in the first place? But, then again, she was invited and she didn't have anything else to do. Why not give it a try?

"Alright then, Mr. Malfoy, I'll go. But promise me that you will inform your father as soon as possible. Do we have a deal?"

He nodded. "Thank you, Professor, you don't know how much this means to us," he said before bolting out the door with only one thought in mind: _Phase One complete!

* * *

_

Apollo hummed a lively Christmas tune as he walked to the Great Hall for lunch. Now that Hades had done what he was supposed to, he was sure she'd agree to come. He knew he looked like a lunatic, smiling without any reason at all, but he didn't care. Now was the time to celebrate. _Apollo Malfoy, you are one wise matchmaker, _he thought smugly. Upon entering the Hall, he immediately went to the Slytherin table and sat on his usual seat beside Artemis.

"What is wrong with you guys?" he said when he saw his siblings' pensive expressions. "Come on, we should celebrate!"

"And what, pray tell, is the occasion? Has Lillian agreed to go out with you yet?" Poseidon asked.

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Phase One is already in motion, and I have every reason to believe that it, along with the rest of our plan, will be a major success."

"I'd like to hear you say that after you read this," Artemis said, motioning to the letter in her hand.

"What's this?"

"It's a letter from Dad. Go on, read it."

Apollo took out the letter from the envelope and began to read:

_Dearest children,_

_I hope you're doing well, especially in your studies. I apologize for not writing to you for so long. I have been very busy with work, among other things. I promise I will make it up to you when you go home for the Holidays._

_I will be waiting for you at Platform 9 ¾. I also have a surprise for you, so prepare yourselves (Just kidding. It's nothing grave. However, I am eagerly looking forward to tell it to you guys.). _

_Love always,_

_Dad_

"So?" Apollo looked at his siblings. "I still say our plan will most definitely work."

"Don't you see? It-"

"Hey guys!"

Artemis was cut off by Hades, who had just arrived. Apollo diverted his attention to him, and so did the rest.

"Well? How'd it go?" Apollo asked.

"It was a success, of course. She promised she'd come to Christmas dinner."

"See, I told you. Things are working out to our advantage. No need to fret, really."

"Yes, well, my point is, something else might catch our dear father's attention on that day, or rather, _someone_," Artemis said. Hades looked mildly confused.

"Wait, wait," Hades interjected. "What are you talking about?"

Artemis snatched the letter from Apollo's hand and gave it to him. "Read," she said sternly. Hades' eyes swept through the letter, and when he was done, he bore the same contemplative expression his siblings had earlier.

"Oh, come on!" Apollo exclaimed. "You can't be pessimistic _now_. Not now that our plan is already underway."

"I'm just thinking, they may be right. I mean, with Father having a girlfriend and all, it might be a problem," Hades said.

"Exactly," Poseidon nodded. "Which is why we need to think of a back-up plan, just in case Plan A fails."

"Don't worry," Apollo said brightly. "It will work out. I'm sure of it."

"There's still the matter of telling Dad about her coming to the dinner," Hades said.

"What?"

"Professor Parkinson wants me to owl Dad informing him that I invited her."

"Mates, you're making a big deal out of nothing. We don't have to tell him." Artemis opened her mouth to argue, but he raised his hand to stop her. "Just trust me on this, alright?"

* * *

The foursome made their way through the throng of students in Platform 9 ¾. Finally, vacation is here. At least two weeks of no homework. This is _the_ life. Craning their necks, they saw their father emerge from the barrier to King's Cross. They immediately went to greet him. 

"Dad!"

"Thank Merlin I wouldn't have to look for you in this crowd," Draco said. "Come on, let's get out of this madness." With a wave of his wand, the children's trunks vanished. Placing his arms around Artemis and Poseidon, who were beside him, they walked to the fireplaces.

"Dad, where are we going?" Artemis asked.

"Do you remember the surprise I mentioned in the last letter I sent you? We're going there now," Draco replied, taking a pinch of Floo powder from his pocket. "We're going to Diagon Alley. Hades, Poseidon, you go first."

The two stepped into the fireplace, took a pinch of Floo powder, and shouted, "Diagon Alley!". They were gone in a burst of green flames. He looked at the remaining two and jerked his head, motioning them to follow suit. Apollo looked at him, eyebrow raised. He raised his eyebrow in return.

"What?"

"You're really excited about this 'surprise' of yours, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Now go in already."

"Alright then," Apollo replied, and stepping into the fireplace with Artemis, did the same thing the first two did. Draco also followed, and he was gone in a burst of green flames.

* * *

"So, Dad, where exactly are we going?" Hades asked as they walked along Diagon Alley.

"You'll see," Draco said with a smile. He led them to Florean Fortescue's where they usually ate. The children were surprised when he went past the parlor and entered the restaurant beside it. The children halted in their tracks and shared confused looks.

"The Four-Leaf Clover?" Poseidon said. "But we haven't eaten here for years!"

"Not since Mum died, I know," Artemis said sadly. "This was her favorite restaurant. But why would Father suddenly want to dine here?"

Apollo opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by Draco, who peered outside to check on them.

"What are you still doing there?" Draco asked. "Come on in, I know we're all anxious to grab a bite."

"Dad, are you sure about this?" Hades asked. "We haven't been in this place for years, and-"

"I'm sure. Now come on, I believe the food has been served."

The restaurant hadn't changed one bit, the children noticed. Aside from the new mahogany floorboards (it used to be oak), everything was how it was five years ago. They followed Draco to the private parlor they always used to occupy. They expected it to be empty, but instead someone already occupied it. A woman.

"Er, Dad… I think we're in the wrong room," Artemis muttered.

"No, we're not," Draco replied, closing the door behind them. The woman stood up and smiled at him. He smiled back. The children only exchanged looks which clearly said: _What the hell is going on!_

"Serena, these are Hades, Apollo, Artemis and Poseidon, my children," Draco introduced them, waving his hand to their direction as he said their names. He took a sharp breath before continuing.

"Children, this is Serena Knight, my fiancée."

* * *

A/N: CLIFFY! So, what do you think? REVIEWS PLEASE! 


	9. Of Interrogations and Revelations

A/N: This is a pretty crappy chapter, so I'm sorry. Crappy in the writing style, that is. I was not myself when I made this so just forgive whatever mistakes I made. Anyway, you know the next sentence: **nothing is mine except for the children and that dastardly woman, Serena. **Before I forget, thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you liked the last chap, and I hope you'd like this just as much. So, without further ado, I give you Chapter 9. Don't forget to R&R!

* * *

A tense silence hung in the parlor. The children slowly looked at their father's direction with a mixed expression of shock and incredulity.

"What, Dad?" Apollo said, shaking his head as if to wake himself up. "I think my ears failed for a while there. I thought I heard you say she is your fiancée."

"You heard me right, Apollo," Draco replied. "She is my fiancée."

"Since when?" Artemis asked.

"Could you excuse us for a few minutes?" Draco asked Serena, who nodded. Taking the children to one side of the room, he said in a low voice, "She has been my fiancée since a few months ago. Now, I know you have a lot of queries, but we can discuss them when we get home. For now, please be nice to her. She really is a wonderful person, and the reason I brought you here is because I want you to get to know her. So please, please behave."

"Alright, Dad. We'll do what you want us to do. However, when we get home, we want answers, and we want the truth. Is that a deal?" Hades extended his hand to his father.

Draco took his hand and shook it. "It's a deal. Thanks, guys."

"No problem, Dad."

They turned back to Serena, who immediately averted her eyes to another direction. She had been watching them with a puzzled face. Draco gave her a smile as he sat beside her.

"Guys, what are you standing there for? Why don't you introduce yourselves to Serena?"

The children shared a look, as though telling the others to go first. They stood there for a few seconds, until, sighing and rolling his eyes, Hades stepped forward.

"My name is Hades. It's a pleasure to meet you," he sat down as he spoke, and his siblings started to follow.

"Artemis. Pleased to meet you."

"I am Poseidon, nice to meet you."

Their heads turned to Apollo, who remained silent. Hades gave him a stern look, motioning him to come forward. Sighing inwardly, he forced his friendliest smile and imitated his siblings.

"Apollo Malfoy. Absolutely charmed to meet you."

* * *

"Dad, we kept our promise, and now it's time for you to hold your end of the bargain," Artemis said as Draco emerged from the fireplace. They had just arrived at the Manor from The Four-Leaf Clover, and they were itching to get the answers out of their father. Draco sighed as he brushed the soot from his robes. 

"Let's go to the study, we'll talk there," Draco replied, leading the way to his study. He seated himself in the swivel chair behind his desk and faced his children.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"The basics first. When, where and how did you two meet?" Apollo asked.

"We met at a party. Do you remember Nat, the head of our department?" The children nodded. "His wife is a close friend of hers. We met at his birthday party."

"How long have you known her, exactly?" Poseidon asked.

"I met her in April, you were still at school then, so that's about eight, nine months."

"In that span of eight to nine months of acquaintance, when did you officially become a couple?" It was Hades' turn to ask.

"July."

"What?!" the children exclaimed in unison.

"Dad," Artemis started. "That's barely three months!"

"Just how long has she been your fiancée?" Apollo asked.

"I proposed to her on October 28, so that's a month and a half, give or take."

"I cannot believe this is happening," Hades said. "Don't you think you're rushing things a bit, Dad? I mean, you can't have known her that well after only nine months of acquaintance."

"It may seem like we're rushing things, but - however cliché this may sound – I think she's 'the one'." Apollo had to control himself from rolling his eyes or throwing a retort to his father. However, someone else had done the retort for him.

"Has she given you Amortentia?" Poseidon blurted out. When his siblings looked at him questioningly, he rolled his eyes. "Amortentia-the love potion? Ring any bells? Oh, honestly!"

"Poseidon, that's enough," Draco said. "And no, she did not give me anything. I hope you understand. I'm only worried about you guys. I don't want you to grow up without the guidance of a mother, and so-"

"And so you looked for one?" Apollo said bitterly. "You should've at least introduced her to us _before _you proposed to her. You should've at least asked us what we thought. I don't think I-"

"Dad," Hades interjected before Apollo could say something else. "We understand where you're coming from, and you can't cancel your engagement now. What Apollo is trying to say, and I agree with him on this, is that you should've asked our opinions beforehand. After all, she is going to be our mother."

"Thank you, guys. I knew you'd understand. And I'm also sorry I didn't mention it to you before."

"Dad, it's alright, really," Artemis said, casting a glance at Apollo's direction. "We just want to see you happy, and we can see that she's the main reason you're happy right now."

"I'm glad you're all handling this in a mature way. I'm so proud of you," Draco said. "However, if I know you, and I have every reason to believe I know you very well, you're not doing this for free. And since I'm feeling so generous, name your price."

"You wound us, Dad," Apollo said mock-hurt. "Why would you think we're doing this for a price?" He was smirking as he said this; Draco had to roll his eyes at his son's overreaction.

"You know us far too well, Dad," Poseidon said.

"It does wonders for my part."

"But you're right. We do have to ask you something," Artemis said.

"I knew it. What is it this time? Don't tell me you're going to ask for the Firebolt 3000. I just bought you brooms before school started."

"As much as I'd like that, Dad, no, that's not what we're going to ask from you," Apollo replied.

"What then?"

"Well, Dad," Hades started. "You see, we invited someone to attend our Christmas dinner, and she agreed to come."

"So?"

"So now, we're telling you so you wouldn't be so surprised when she arrives," Poseidon replied.

"I need to know something first," Draco said. "Who is it?"

"She's a new acquaintance," Artemis said.

"And you asked her without informing me first?"

"We only found out that she was staying at school for Christmas a few weeks ago, and it seemed unfair for her to stay there all alone just because she didn't have any of her relatives around. I mean, not even Headmaster Lupin stays there for Christmas! So we invited her over," Apollo explained. "Aren't you the one who's always telling us to extend a hand to those who need it? We only followed what you said."

"Alright, alright," Draco said, flinging his hands in surrender. "It's not like I can do anything else about it anyway. She's already coming over, so that's that. I just hope you'd tell me her name. But if you want to surprise me with her identity, then fine."

The children shared knowing grins. If only their father knew just how much he would be surprised. If only he knew…

"Father," Poseidon said out of the blue. "Is Serena going to come to the dinner?"

"Of course," Draco said. "I'll be announcing our engagement there."

At that, the expressions on their faces changed to somewhat horrified looks. This is not happening… how come they didn't think about that earlier?

"Er- Dad, aren't you supposed to be getting back to the Ministry?" Hades asked.

"I almost forgot! Thanks for reminding me, Hades," Draco said as he stood up and proceeded to the fireplace. "Behave, you lot, alright? I'll be home for dinner."

"Okay. Bye Dad!" And with a burst of green flames, Draco had gone.

"What the hell are we going to do now?" Artemis said exasperatedly.

"Somehow I knew this would happen," Poseidon added.

"Alright, calm down," Hades said. "We need to think about this rationally. We need to find another way to do this."

"You know, I really don't see the reason why you're all panicking," Apollo said. His siblings looked at him incredulously. He just rolled his eyes.

"Apollo, are you kidding me?" Artemis exclaimed. "We have a whole lot of problems, don't you see? First Dad now had a fiancée, and what's worse, they're going to announce it at the dinner! Professor Parkinson will be there! This is not going to work out the way we want it to."

"Nothing ever works out the way we want it to," Apollo replied. "Do you remember what Mum always used to tell us? _'Every cloud has a silver lining.'_ We'll find a way around our current dilemma, don't worry."

"How you can stay calm in a situation like this escapes me," Poseidon said. "Just for the record, what do you think of Serena?"

"She's okay," Artemis said. "I mean, she's nice and beautiful and graceful and caring and- oh, who am I kidding? She's perfect! I cannot see any flaw to her! It seems to me that Dad has finally found someone who loves him and not his money or his looks."

"You forget one thing, my dear twin sister," Apollo said.

"And what might that be?"

"Nobody is perfect," Apollo said. "I am fairly certain that there is something wrong with her. However, we wouldn't have to work hard to find out what it is. The Fates will just let itself unfold, and it will be to our greatest advantage, believe me."

"Let's all cross our fingers and hope that would happen, Apollo," Hades said. "Or else we'll end up with a mother we don't want."

* * *

Ever since that day, the Malfoy family was often seen with a black-haired beauty dining at one restaurant or the other. Rumors started to spread with regards to Draco's relationship to Serena; some said she was a family friend, some said she is his girlfriend, some even said she was already his wife! No one knew the truth except for the children. Or so they thought… 

"Dad, could you excuse me for a minute? I need to use the loo," Artemis said. They were currently at The Leaky Cauldron eating dinner. With Draco's nod, she got up and headed for the loo. It was empty. She headed for the first cubicle and did her thing. When she was about to get out, someone, or rather two people rushed inside.

"In here, hurry!" a female voice, which sounded very familiar to Artemis, said. "He might see us together, and then our plan will be foiled!"

"I know, I know," a male voice said. "So, what's the nitty-gritty behind you and our blondie, hmm?"

The woman must have shown him something, because the man cackled loudly. "That's my girl! I knew he'd fall for you in the long run! When you get married, you can ship those brats of his to the other side of the world, get rid of him and then run with his money. After that, we're rich!"

The woman laughed with him. "I know! Although, I'm having a problem with those children. They don't seem to trust me enough, and they can convince their father to cancel the engagement."

"Well, we can't have that, can we? Use your charms on them; do to them what you did to their father. It's that simple."

"I'd best get going. They could be looking for me already."

"Alright. You're doing well, Rena. Just keep it up."

"I know, I know. Scram already!"

The door closed with a click. Artemis listened for a few seconds, to see if the people will come back, then she came out. As she washed her hands in the sink, she thought about who the woman could be and why her voice seemed so familiar.

_I know I've heard her somewhere, but where? Crap, it's at the tip of my tongue… Argh! I give up! But I'm sure they were talking about Father… I mean, who else in here is blonde, aside from my brothers? I'd better get back before they start to think I'm doing something here._

She made her way back to the table where her family and Serena (technically, she wasn't a Malfoy yet) sat. She found them laughing, and what they were laughing about she never knew, for they immediately stopped as she settled herself beside Hades.

"What have you been doing in the loo?" Apollo said, smirking.

"None of your business," she simply replied. "Unless you want me to describe it in detail for you…"

"Stop it. Can't you show a little mercy to your brother?" Apollo said, shuddering.

"Apollo, Artemis would you stop that?" Draco reprimanded, although he himself was smiling.

"You were at the bathroom?" Serena asked, her voice quavering slightly, and it seemed that only Artemis noticed. "How come I didn't notice you?"

"Er-" What was she going to say? That she was in a cubicle when she heard her enter with a man? No way. "Er- I didn't proceed to the loo right away. I had a chat with the barkeeper."

"Oh," was all Serena said in reply, and she resumed eating with her head down.

_Wait a sodding minute, _Artemis suddenly thought. _The voice… it was hers! Rena… nickname for Serena. Bloody hell, the guys have to know…_

"Arty!"

Poseidon's voice jerked her back to reality. Artemis gave him a questioning look, to which Apollo rolled his eyes.

"He was asking whether you'll be eating your side dish," Apollo said. "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," she replied. "Here, Don, you can have the corn and carrots."

Hades and Apollo looked at her questioningly, to which she returned a look which said, 'Later'. They merely shrugged and continued eating. _What would Dad say when he finds out? _She can scarcely imagine how angry Draco would be when he finds out. With a shudder, she returned to her food, trying to shut out the thoughts in her mind.

* * *

"What exactly was wrong with you earlier?" Hades asked as they entered Artemis' room later that afternoon. "Even Dad noticed you were acting weirdly. What's wrong?" 

"Alright," Artemis started. "I excused myself earlier, right? When I was about to get out of the cubicle, people entered the loo. I didn't get out, because one of the voices belonged to a man."

"A man?" Apollo interjected.

"Yes, a man. There were two, and the other one was a woman's voice. They were talking about some plan about a _blondie._ And that's not all. She must have shown him something, like a _ring_, because he was extremely happy and he started talking about her getting married. Also, they talked about shipping his children to the other side of the world and _getting rid of him _and running away with his money. Tell me, who wouldn't be disturbed after hearing that?"

"The voices, whose voices were it?" Poseidon asked.

"I've never heard the man's voice. However, the woman's was familiar, and when Serena asked me if I had been to the bathroom, I remembered who it was."

"And?" Hades dared to ask, although he knew the answer fully well.

"It was her!" Artemis exclaimed.

"I told you so," Apollo said. "I told you there was something off about her. And there you have it."

"So what do we do?" Poseidon asked. "Do we tell Dad about it or not?"

"Let's weigh the odds," Hades said. "If we don't tell Dad, there's the possibility of him getting married to a potential black widow and us being carried off to China. If we do tell him, we save him from a disastrous, not to mention murderous, marriage, but now from heartbreak and sadness. Which are we going to prioritize, his life or his happiness?"

"I say we do not going to tell him anything," Apollo said. His siblings looked at him as though he had gone mad. "Look, Dad isn't stupid enough to be fooled by a plan concocted by a potential black widow and her associate, alright? He can figure it out by himself, and when he does, it would do us a lot of good."

"I don't see how it would 'do us a lot of good'. Apollo," Poseidon said. "I mean, he could be killed! We could be separated forever! I don't think-"

"For Merlin's sake! Dad is an Unspeakable! He will not be duped by amateur con artists, alright? I trust Dad and his decisions, so don't panic. That's the last thing you'd want to do in our current state."

"And what state is that?" Artemis snorted.

"Red alert."

"What if he doesn't work it out? What if they do get married?" Hades asked.

"Don't worry. I have a very good feeling that the tables will turn and Lady Luck will be on our side at the end. And besides, would you want to see Dad sad again, just like how he was when Mum died?"

"So we're just going to leave it at that?" Artemis said.

"No, we're going to give Dad a headstart when he needs it. For now, let that woman think she's winning. She doesn't know who she's fighting against, and that will be her downfall."


	10. A Not So Perfect Christmas

A/N: I am so sorry for the late update (and I've been saying this for the nth time). I've been busy with school again, and more recently with preparing for Christmas. Anyway, I'm just going to save the rest of my notes at the end of the chapter, but be sure to READ AND REVIEW! I now give you Chapter 10!

* * *

"Apollo, comb your hair, would you? And Poseidon, change your shirt, it clashes horribly with your hair. Hades, haven't you found your shoes yet? Arty, be a dear and help your brother find his shoes. You look dazzling, by the way." 

"Thanks, Dad. You don't look too shabby yourself."

This was the usual scene in the Malfoy Manor a few hours before the annually held Christmas dinner takes place. The house elves and their masters and mistress were busy running around doing the last-minute touches before their guests arrived. The manor itself was ready for the party; almost everything was blue and silver, the chosen theme for this year's occasion. Garlands with Christmas balls and sparkling fairies that gave off a blue-and-silvery glow covered the many doorframes and corridors. Ready to greet tonight's guests in the receiving room is an enormous Christmas tree adorned with crystal beads and more of those lovely fairies. Crystal icicles hung from the chandeliers, and the grand staircase couldn't have looked grander. Draco gathered the children on the entrance to the receiving room to welcome their guests.

"Okay…" Draco said, eyeing his children to make sure they looked alright. _This is the problem when you have an obsessive-compulsive father, _the children thought as they shared looks. "Alright, we're set."

He opened the door to reveal an already jam-packed room. Most of their yearly guests were there: the Zabinis (yes, even Elliot and Daphne came), the entire Weasley clan (almost, Bill and Fleur, together with their four children, were spending the Holidays with Fleur's folks in France), the Potters and most of the members of the Order and DA. Serena approached Draco and placed a light kiss on his lips, muttering, "Happy Christmas, love." While Draco looked like he had reached Seventh Heaven, the children barely managed to stop themselves from strangling her. As they scanned the crowd, they immediately realized that their most important guest had not yet arrived.

"Guys, chow time!"

The younger generation stayed in a separate room from the adults because, first of all, they all wouldn't be able to fit into even the longest dining table. Secondly, the topics their adults usually talked about only bored them to death. They rejoin the older group after dinner in the Grand Ballroom, where they would give and receive their gifts. Draco noticed his children weren't going out of the room with the others so he approached them.

"Hey, the others are already waiting for you. What's wrong?"

"You remember the guest we told you about? She's not yet here," Poseidon replied.

"Well, maybe she had other plans for tonight and decided not to come," Draco shrugged. Seeing his children's faces, he sighed. "Alright, five minutes, then head off to dinner, with or without your guest."

"Thanks, Dad," Hades called out as he exited the room.

And so they waited. Every tick of the clock made them even more anxious. When five minutes had already passed, they decided to follow their father, losing all hope that their guest would come.

"It's a pity, really," Apollo said with a sigh. "And to think, I've never been this excited for Christmas to come. All our efforts have gone down the drain."

"Let's go, guys," Hades said. "We still have other guests to entertain."

As they turned to leave, they heard the firewood rustle, then a sigh coming from a person emanating from the fireplace. When they turned around, they saw Pansy brushing the soot from her robes. Their faces suddenly lightened up at seeing her.

"I am so sorry! I was held up at S-er-somewhere and I completely lost track of the time. I hope I'm not terribly late."

"Don't worry, Professor. You're right on time," Apollo said, grinning.

"They just went to the dining hall," Artemis added. "I'm sure you'll make the appetizer, that is if we get going right now."

"Thank you for inviting me, by the way, and for waiting up for me," Pansy said as they walked in one of the main corridors. "Could you do a favor for me? When we're not in the class setting, just call me Pansy. Being called 'Professor' all the time makes me feel old."

"Will do," Hades replied. "We'll be showing you to the Conference/Dining Room. That's where the other adults are."

As they turned a corner and walked to another corridor, Pansy looked at the cold faces of the portraits on the wall. Every generation of the Malfoy line had a portrait. _Not much has changed around here, I see, _Pansy thought. _The manor just had more light. It used to look like a haunted house, from what I remember. _She nodded her head in acknowledgement of a portrait who waved his hand at her and apparently remembered her. _I hope the children didn't notice, or else they'd start asking. _They reached the end of the corridor, where there were two doors on either side. Hades opened the door on the left and peered through.

"Dad, I hate to interrupt but our guest has arrived."

Slightly abashed by the grand entrance, she meekly stepped into the room, only to be met by what seemed like a hundred pairs of curious eyes wondering who it could be. But what got her on cold feet were a certain pair of steely grey eyes staring, or rather glaring at her, full of shock and anger. _So much for telling him in advance. Happy Christmas indeed, _she thought bitingly.

* * *

"Draco, you have really outdone yourself this time," Hermione praised when everyone had already settled into their seats along the dining table. "The manor looks absolutely splendid!" 

"It's nothing really. Just like every Christmas, I want this night to be perfect," Draco replied.

Blaise chuckled at his reply. "You've always been a perfectionist, Draco. But Hermione's right, the house looks fantastic. Looks like you have something planned for us."

"It's a surprise," Draco glanced at Serena with a knowing smirk.

"So you do have something planned for tonight? What is it?" Ron piped in.

"I told you, it's a surprise."

"Aww, come on! Tell us!"

Soon enough, all the guests present in the room were chanting along with Ron. After a while, he stood up and held his arms up to stop them.

"Okay, fine, I'm telling. Well, the fact of the matter is-"

"Dad, I hate to interrupt but our guest has arrived."

Draco let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Hades peek inside the room. _Thank heaven for little miracles, _he thought.

"Oh, usher her in then. The food's about to be served."

Seeing his guests' curious faces, he explained. "The children decided to invite someone from school to join us tonight. It seems she was a bit late, but it's good that she came. The children were ecstatic because of her. Although why they brought her here and not in the other room is beyond me."

He saw that his audience wasn't listening to him anymore. Instead, they were focused on the person on the door, so he also glanced to see who their special guest was. _What in the name of Merlin is going on? It can't be…_

"Pansy!" Blaise jerked him out of his thoughts, and confirmed what he was seeing. He watched as she gave back an ambiguous smile and proceeded to the seat next to Blaise. Glancing at his children, he saw mischievous smiles and thoroughly amused eyes looking right back at him, mocking him. _There goes the perfect night I was hoping for, _he thought dourly. As he sat back down, and at the same time trying to control himself from doing something stupid, he saw Hades going in his direction and lowering himself just so his lips were hovering above Draco's ears.

"Dad, please take good care of our guest. If she suddenly leaves without any reason at all, we will hold you responsible, and I quote from Apollo, 'We will do whatever it takes to ensure that no wedding will commence, by any means necessary'. Enjoy you dinner."

Draco watched Hades' retreating form, his eyes gleaming with anger and disbelief. _He had just threatened me. Unbelievable… why the hell did they invite her in the first place? I'm going to have a long talk with them when this is all over. _Finally ending his musing, he turned his attention to the various conversations going on, and after a while initiated one with Serena, who was seated beside him.

* * *

"Where in Merlin's name have you been all this time, Pansy?" Daphne asked, inwardly sighing in relief that she had chosen to sit between her and Blaise. "You just up and left right after the war, and you didn't even bother to write!" 

"Well, I-"

"Hey Malfoy! Don't think you're off the hook yet! Spill!" Ron's voice cut Pansy off just as she was about to answer.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot," Draco said, standing up. He gestured for Serena to stand up as well. "I just want everyone to know that Serena and I are engaged."

Cheers and applause erupted from the guests as Blaise stood up and clapped his hands on Draco's shoulders and congratulating him and Serena. Daphne glanced warily at Pansy's direction as the other guests stood up to shake hands with the soon-to-be-weds. Pansy struggled to maintain an apathetic face, but inside she felt a lump forming at her throat. She followed Daphne at the head of the table, and all too soon she found herself face to face with Draco.

"Congratulations," she said with as little emotion as possible. "Best wishes to the both of you."

"Thank you," Draco replied just as icily. "I'm glad you can make it, by the way."

With a nod, she made her way back to her chair, as the house elves had already started to serve the food. No interaction had taken place between them since then. Not even so much as a glance in the other's direction. Dinner was relatively quiet, except for the raucous laughter caused by the Weasley twins. When dinner was almost through, Pansy suddenly stood up.

"Where are you going?" Blaise asked her.

"I'm just going to wash my hands," Pansy replied. Blaise only shrugged in reply, and she went out of the door connecting the dining room to the kitchens. Upon entering the kitchens, the house elves all scuttled around her.

"Miss Parkinson!" a house elf she recognized as Flimsy exclaimed. "You is not been visiting for a long time! What will Miss Parkinson be needing?"

"Don't worry yourself, Flimsy, I'm just here to wash my hands, and then I'll be off," she replied. Flimsy bowed and went to do her chores. She looked around for a moment. _Nothing's changed after all, except for the master of the house, _she thought as she proceeded to do what she was there for. When she was drying her hands on a towel beside the sink, she noticed that the kitchens became eerily silent. Turning around, she saw that the house elves were all gone. The only person behind her was the very person she had been trying to avoid the whole night.

"Hello, Pansy," Draco greeted coldly. She opened her mouth to reply, but she had suddenly lost her voice. She just pursed her lips back together and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Tell me something," Draco started as he approached her. "What the hell did you do to my children to make them like you this much?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Why did you come back in the first place?" Draco continued as if she didn't say anything. "Did you really think that I would welcome you back with open arms after what you did to me?"

"Draco, I-"

"And you didn't even have the decency to tell me the reason why you left! Not even a single note!"

"Draco, I wanted to tell you! Merlin knows I wanted to tell you, but I cannot tell anyone my full reasons for leaving. Not even Blaise knows, and to think I work with him!"

"So Blaise has to know first before you tell me? That only goes to show how insignificant I am, or should I say _was_, to you!"

"You are being unreasonable, Malfoy! And you'd know all about being insignificant, wouldn't you? You have no right to lecture me about insignificance, that's one of the reasons why I left! Because every time I approach you, you shove me away. You ignore everything I do for you. I was always second to your list of priorities, and I hate it!"

"How dare you tell me that when it was you who left me! For all I know, you already eloped with some random guy you've been having an affair with! You swore to me that you'd always be with me, that you'd stay with me through thick and thin, but where were you when I needed you? Where were you when Mother died and I needed someone who can understand me? I was planning on spending the rest of my life with you when the war is over. I loved you even more than life itself, but when you left, I think you made yourself quite clear. I never meant anything to you, and I never will!"

The response Pansy gave was none that Draco expected. He expected her to shout right back at him, just as they had been doing for quite some time now, or to even begin hurling the different utensils on the counter, but he did not expect her to slap him. He felt his cheeks stinging with the impact, and when he looked back at her, he could see the tears that were threatening to leak out of her eyes. He quickly replaced the obvious shock on his face with something akin to anger and was about to say something but Pansy beat him to it.

"How could you say that to my face, when even though I left you still occupied my thoughts? Every single day, I wonder how you were, what you were doing, if you were eating three times a day, if you were recovering well-" At this point, she sniffed, the tears had already down to her cheeks. "Everything I did when we were together, it was all for you. Even my disappearance, I did it because I didn't want to burden you any longer. I'd rather die than be with someone else, so how could you think I had an affair when we were together? I have never been this insulted, not even by those who looked down on our kind, and now I realize that I just wasted my entire life on someone who will never love me back the same way I love him."

Looking at Draco with disgust, disappointment and regret, she strode past him to go back to the dining room. Stopping in front of the door to wipe the tears from her eyes and compose herself, she added in an apathetic voice, "Don't worry, I'll be leaving in June, at the end of term, and after that you'll never see me again. I guarantee you that." And Draco heard the creak of the door, and then a click. Closing his eyes, he remained rooted to his position and massaged his temple. _What the hell had just happened?_

* * *

Pansy emerged from the kitchens looking… well, looking like hell. She looked miserable; although she already wiped the tears, it still looked like she was crying since her eyes were all red and puffy. She immediately went to her seat to grab her bag, and then headed for the door.

"Pansy! What happened to you? And where are you going this time?" Blaise called out to her. She stopped and faced him to answer his questions.

"I just had a chat with the master of the house. And I'm going home," she said with such firmness that even Blaise seemed stunned at her tone. _I wonder what Draco did this time. Speak of the devil, _he thought sarcastically as he saw Draco come out of the kitchens as well looking at Pansy with eyes void of any emotion. Pansy just stared right back at him with the same expression.

"Thank you for the meal, it was superb. But I have to get going. Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Malfoy."

"The pleasure's all mine, Professor."

And with that, Pansy made a sharp turn and exited the room. Everyone looked at Draco to know what had happened. They watched him sit back down with a sigh and look at everyone.

"Nothing happened, I assure you. Let's just forget about that episode and continue with the party, shall we?"

* * *

In the other dining room, the party was already in full swing, and the night was just starting. As of the moment, a food fight between the girls and the boys are taking place, and it was started by none other than the Weasleys (sons and daughters of Fred and George Weasley). You cannot see a single person inside the room that was tidy. Good thing there are people in the room who are already of age; they can just clean themselves and the younger ones when they're done. 

"Hey Apollo! How dare you run away from a battle!" Theodore Lupin called out mockingly.

"I'm not running away! I have to go, if you know what I mean!" Apollo shouted back.

"Then by all means, go! We don't want you cluttering around here, won't we?" The rest laughed with him.

"I'll be back in a jiffy!"

When he opened the door, he saw Pansy exit the other room and head out to the receiving room, the nearest room that has a fireplace. His mind began to race, and he did the first thing that entered his mind.

"Hades! Arty! Poseidon! Come out here, quick!"

"What happened?" the three asked in unison when they were out of the room with Apollo.

"Pansy… I saw her leaving just now."

"Let's go."

They reached the receiving room just as Pansy was about to throw the Floo powder into the fireplace. They neared her with mixed expressions on their faces.

"Pansy, why are you leaving?" Artemis asked.

"Someone has made it clear that I'm not welcome. It would be rude of me to impose, so I decided to leave."

"It's Dad, isn't it?" Apollo said bitterly.

"What did he say to you?" Hades asked.

"It doesn't matter. And I didn't say it was your father. Anyway, that isn't the only reason why I'm leaving. Do you remember what I told you, Hades, when you asked me what I planned to do this Christmas?"

"You said you'd visit you-"

"Yes, that. He needs me, you see. He's not exactly feeling well, so I need to take care of him. Thank you for inviting me, it was so thoughtful of you. Off you go now, I don't want you to be held up because of me. Have fun, and happy holidays."

With that, she took a pinch of the Floo, stepped into the fireplace, threw the Floo and was gone in a burst of green flames. The children looked at each other. _This is gonna be a long talk with Dad tomorrow. He will never marry that scumbag of a woman. Over our dead bodies._

_

* * *

_

Pansy appeared at the fireplace of a building almost entirely covered with white. She made her way to the top floor, where she was greeted by the nurse in charge for tonight.

"Good evening, Miss Parkinson," he said in his thickly accented voice. "Come to spend the holidays here with us, I see."

"Yes, Harold, good evening to you too. How is he?" Pansy asked.

"He's been asleep most of the day, but he woke up shortly after you left earlier. He's still awake, I believe."

"Thank you." And with that, she entered he door to a private ward. She took off her coat and set it down on a chair beside the bed along with her bag. She gently stroked the stray strands out of the face of the man lying on the bed. The man took her hand and held it firmly in his.

"Happy Christmas, Pansy."

"Happy Christmas, Rowan."

* * *

A/N: So, that was my attempt at angst. It took me long to formulate how the fight would end up, which is one of the reasons why I only updated now. Tell me if it was great or if it sucked, alright? Don't forget to READ AND REVIEW! Ciao, folks! 


	11. Fallout

A/N: FINALLY! I finally got around to finishing this chapter! Thank you for the lovely reviews! I really appreciate it... and it makes me more guilty that I updated so late... I'm sorry! Now to answer your questions:

**Meya-Slytherin: **No, the Rowan in this story is not Rowan the centaur... To tell you the truth, it actually slipped my mind that there already was a character named Rowan in HP... But for the sake of this story, the Rowan here is a completely different person... he's human, for one. :)

**namelessxfreak and maraudersGIRL92:** You guessed right! He is Pansy's mysterious brother.

**alice in fungerland: **I'm glad you liked the story... and Artemis!

Okay, disclaimers, disclaimers. No one familiar is mine... only the kids and Serena.

On with the story, and don't forget to review!!!

* * *

Draco awoke from his sleep with a head so heavy he can't even lift it from his pillow. Cursing his hangover, he tried to recall exactly how he ended up in the state he was in. _'The party, of course,'_ he thought bitterly. The party ended at around two in the morning, and the last thing he remembered before drifting off was Serena helping him get to his room (he can barely stand up because of either exhaustion or drunkenness, he can't seem to recall that part) and his children bidding him a rather cold "good night". 

His children. The foursome seemed to have been distant towards him for the remainder of the evening, even as they were opening their gifts (which Draco was sure to be the ones they wanted to receive). When they gave their gift, they only said, "Happy Christmas, Father. Enjoy." And then with forced smiles, they rejoined their friends. _'Perhaps they changed their minds?' _he wondered, finally managing to get himself up. Getting _out _of bed was another matter. _'I didn't do anything wrong… did I?'_

He suddenly remembered the scene in the kitchens, the only flaw to a what-would-have-been-perfect last night. Sighing, he flung his feet to his bedside. _'That, of course, is not counted. They already knew my opinion of her, so why should they…? And why exactly would they go this far for her?' _A goblet full of Hangover Potion on his bedside table then caught his attention. He quickly drank it to end the misery of his aching head, his former train of thought forgotten.

* * *

After a much-deserved shower, he went down to see what was cooking… in the literal sense. He could smell the aroma of something very scrumptious from his bedroom (which was something, considering how large the manor is). He traced where it was coming from and it led him to the kitchens. He winced slightly at the memory of last night's incident, but he quickly shrugged it off as he opened the door. 

"Well, well, look who's here. Happy Christmas morning, sleepyhead," Serena's gentle mocking voice greeted him. She wore an apron over her dress, a potholder in one hand, and held the pan from which she was frying eggs in the other. Draco smirked at this.

"Mmmhmm! So this was where it's coming from. Smells delicious."

"It _is _delicious, I assure you."

He neared her and then, placing his arms around her waist, he said, "Before I forget, a happy Christmas morning to you too." He leaned in for a light smack on her lips, but Serena pulled her body closer to his, thus deepening the kiss. They were so enamored with each other that they didn't notice that just then the children decided to make their entrance.

"Should we disturb them?" Poseidon asked sarcastically. They weren't shocked to see their father snogging her; rather they were disgusted. "They seem pretty busy."

"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious," Apollo replied. "You know, she reminds me of a lioness… she just can't keep her paws off her prey, can she?"

Hades decided to be the one to make their presence known through one little gesture. "Ahem."

The two broke apart in surprise like they had just received an electric shock. Draco smoothened his hair and went to his seat at the head of the table while Serena, blushing, seemed to have finally noticed that the eggs were already burnt. The children just rolled their eyes at this as they went to the dining room and settled in their usual chairs.

Now, it has already been a custom in the Malfoy household to leave their late mother's seat vacant in meals, so the children were appalled when Serena sat in that very seat. What irritated them more was the reaction Draco gave; he actually seemed pleased about it.

"Someone just made herself the mistress of the house," Artemis muttered lowly, so that only Apollo, who was beside her, would be able to hear. He nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I wonder why we weren't notified that the position's already been filled…" Apollo said in a voice just as low, before adding, "By a hag who happens to be a part-time husband-killer-slash-thief!"

Artemis barely contained her smirk. Draco saw this and raised an eyebrow at her, but did not say anything. This made her smirk all the more. Poseidon just rolled his eyes, thinking why they weren't saying anything about the woman beside him.

"Father," he started. "If I remember correctly, you explicitly forbade anyone from taking this seat," gesturing to Serena's chair. "So why is she occupying it now?"

Draco's eyes flashed dangerously, obviously not pleased with what he had said, while the other three looked at him and Draco with mixed shock and amusement. Draco had never scolded Poseidon before, and they knew he was not going to start now. Good thing it was he who took the words right out of their mouths; their eyes were glistening with glee although their faces remained impassive. Annoyance crossed Serena's face briefly before it was replaced with what almost seemed like an apologetic look. Almost.

Lifting her plate and fork and knife, she exclaimed, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I had no idea! I'll just move to another seat-"

"No, it's okay, love, you can stay there," Draco cut her off, motioning her to sit back down. The children looked at him as though he had grown another head. Just how stupid can things get?

"Well, actually, Father, we also wanted to talk to you," Hades said.

"Yeah, you know, four-on-one," Artemis added.

"It's rather urgent, family business," Apollo finished.

"Whatever it is that you want to tell me, you can tell me in front of Serena," Draco replied.

"But we already told you-"

"We wanted to talk to you in private-"

"About family matters-

"And technically speaking, she's not family," Poseidon finished.

"Poseidon," Draco said warningly.

"No, he's right," Serena said. "It seems really important, so I'll leave you to discuss it. It's fine, really," she added when Draco was about to object. "And besides, he was right when he said I'm not a part of your family."

"Not yet, but soon you will be," Draco said, eyeing his children before turning his attention back to Serena. "I'm really sorry about this, but if you're sure-"

"I'm sure," Serena assured, and placing a light kiss on Draco's lips, she walked out of the room. When she had closed the door, Draco turned to the foursome. "What are you guys playing at? You shouldn't have said that in front of her. Can't it wait until later?"

"We can ask the same thing to you, Dad," Apollo said. "What were you playing at when you told Pansy to leave last night?"

"What? I didn't ask her to leave; she left of her own accord."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Do you really think we're going to buy that? She left last night, eyes red and puffy from crying, obviously. So what the bloody hell happened?"

"I thought I told you to stay away from her. Since when did you start calling her by her first name?" Draco asked bitingly.

"Dad, two things: one, she said we could call her that outside class because it makes her sound so old and two, we're the ones asking questions here," Apollo replied.

"She told us that someone made it clear that she wasn't welcome," Hades said. "And out of all the adults last night, you're the only one we know who has a thing against her."

"That's why we're asking what you did, if you did anything, to make her leave," Poseidon concluded.

"But you know," Artemis mused. "If you only told us why you wanted us to stay away from her, we wouldn't have invited her in the first place. None of this would have been necessary. So, d'you fancy giving us a history lesson anytime soon?"

Draco stared at her incredulously. "I don't see any reason why that should concern you. Just take my word for it; looks can be deceiving. She is not to be trusted."

"'Don't see any reason-'?" Apollo repeated weakly. "I cannot take this anymore. This is ridiculous!"

"Apollo, shut up for a minute," Hades said sternly, before turning his attention back to Draco. "Father, we barely know anything about you before Mother came into your life. The only things we know of are what we see in books and clippings, and even that doesn't say much. It's not supposed to be this way."

"What he's trying to say," Poseidon interjected. "Is that you're a stranger to us. We want to get to know you and all, but there's this barrier around you, Father, that's so thick that even we can't penetrate it. We want to get closer to you, but we don't know how to do it because you never showed us how."

"Dad, let me ask you one thing," Apollo said. "Just who are we in your life? Do we really mean anything to you?"

Draco rolled his eyes in irritation; this was really getting to him. "What kind of a question is that, Apollo? Of course you mean everything to me!"

"But how come we don't feel that?" Artemis said. "The way I see it, your wannabe-wife knows you even more than we ever did!"

"You will stop it this instant, Artemis!" Draco warned, but Artemis took no heed and continued.

"You said it yourself, Father. Looks can be deceiving. We all know you're not stupid, neither are you blind; what we don't understand is why you can't see things that are already in front of you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're telling us to stay away from Pansy when she has done nothing wrong while Serena… that woman will be the death of you! It's obvious that you're playing right into her hands! Where the hell did you pick her up in the fir-?"

Her words were cut short as a strong force suddenly hit her face. Stunned, she raised a hand to her stinging cheek, the reverberating sound of the slap still ringing in her ears. She slowly looked up at Draco, whose arm was still raised and eyes widened in shock at what he just did; he couldn't even recall the moment when he stood up and neared Artemis. The other three looked at Draco, then at Artemis, and back at Draco, their shocked expressions replaced with restrained anger. Draco opened his mouth to speak, but was at a loss with what to say.

"I-I didn't mean- Arty, I'm sorry," he said when he finally found his voice. "I'm really sorry."

"Do you see what that woman has done to you?!" Apollo cried. "You've never laid a hand on us before, not even when you were so angry at what we've done. And now, just because Artemis was saying the _right _thing… how dare you… how could you!"

"It all boils down to this, Dad," Poseidon said. "You have only two choices: us or her. Please choose wisely."

Draco looked at each one of them with brows furrowed in bafflement. "Don't make me do this…"

"I think," Artemis cut him off, her eyes cold and brimming with unshed tears. "With what he just did, his answer's clear and simple. You were right, Apollo, this is ridiculous. I am leaving."

With one last look at Draco, she turned to walk out of the room. Her brothers stared at her retreating figure for a moment, and then turned their attention to Draco.

"Now you've done it. Nice going, Father," Apollo remarked sarcastically.

"You can disown us if you want, but you know that we're not going let her leave by herself," Poseidon said. "We're going with her."

"You know, Dad," Hades said softly. "Whenever people tell me that we're so much alike, I always felt proud, but now, I don't know what to feel about it because I don't even know the person I'm being compared to in the first place. Should I be happy because I was compared to my own father, my hero, or should I be ashamed, because I was compared to a man who chose a stranger over his own children?"

The three walked out of the room without even glancing back at him. Draco found himself unable to move, and was rooted on the spot where he had been standing. He collapsed on the nearest chair, and began to massage his temple. _'Why the hell does this have to happen now?'_

* * *

Hades, Apollo and Poseidon went straight to Artemis' room from the dining room. Poseidon knocked on the door thrice before peeking into the room. There was Artemis, hauling all the things she needs into her trunk while sniffling softly. The three made their entrance quietly. 

"You can stay here if you want," Artemis said in steely voice. "I won't force you to come with me."

"Arty, you know that we're sticking together, right?" Hades replied. "We're going with you."

"And we don't care if Father disowns us," Poseidon added.

"We don't want to be here when that woman comes back, you know," Apollo shrugged.

Artemis paused from packing and looked at them with a smile. "Thanks, guys."

Hades neared her and embraced her. "We can't let you go on your own, Arty. You're our only sister. We're doing this together, alright?"

"Group hug!" Apollo exclaimed, dragging Poseidon with him as he neared the two and embraced them. Poseidon, who was in the middle of the other three, was engulfed by their arms, and needless to say, was almost suffocated.

"W-where are we gonna go in the first place?" His words took its effect on his older siblings and they backed away, finally letting Poseidon have air. They fell into a contemplative silence as they thought of where they could go.

"How about Uncle Blaise's?" Apollo suggested.

"We can't let this go out," Hades said. "It's private family matters."

"It's not like he wouldn't find out anyway," Apollo countered. "Dad would most probably tell him first."

"Yes, but Elise and Elliot are there with him," Artemis said. "And Aunt Daphne, I think. So that rules Uncle Blaise's place out."

"Well, there's always the Leaky Cauldron," Poseidon said.

"Do you guys have money?" Apollo asked.

"Some, yeah," Hades replied. "If we put all our money together, it would be enough to sustain us for the remainder of the vacation."

"So we're going to the Cauldron? But I thought we weren't going to let this go out. People are going to wonder why we're spending the Holidays there rather than here at home," Artemis reasoned.

"You're right," Hades said after a short period of silence. "Where else can we go?"

"I know of another place," Apollo said. The other three looked at him expectantly. "There's always Hoggy, Warty Hogwarts. It's safer there and we don't even have to spend our savings. If people ask, let's just say that we had to cut our vacation short because… because Father's too busy."

"How do we get there?" Poseidon asked.

"Simple, dear brother," Apollo replied with a smirk. "We're going to Floo, of course."

* * *

Blaise sauntered along the halls of Malfoy Manor later that afternoon, surprised at the eerie silence enveloping the house. Usually, during the holidays, laughter could be heard coming from one of the rooms as the family catches up with one another or a gentle melody flowed from the music room as the family did their favorite hobby: playing and making music together. Strangely enough, this time the house was so silent one could hear a pin drop. What was stranger is that Blaise did not encounter even one living soul (house elves included). He figured the house elves would be in the kitchens, and that was where he is currently headed. Just then, he saw a house elf pass by. 

"Oi, er- Mimsy!"

The house elf turned to look at him, and with a bow, asked, "What is Master Blaise be wanting of Mimsy?"

"Where's your Master Draco?"

"Master Draco is in his study, Master Blaise."

"Oh, thanks." With that, he proceeded to the Main Study. When he got there, the door was slightly ajar, so he took a peek first before he came in. Draco was in there, alright, and although the back of his swivel chair was turned to the door, Blaise can make out his hand holding a glass of brandy. Blaise raised an eyebrow at this (_'Isn't it a bit too early for that?') _but went in nevertheless.

"Draco, what in the world is going on here? It's too quiet… where are the kids? I wanted to invite them and you for dinner. And can you tell me why the hell are you drinking brandy at…." He checked his wristwatch. "4:30 in the afternoon?"

Silence was the only reply he got. He waited for a few more minutes, and then rolling his eyes, he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Hello, Draco! I don't appreciate being ignored, you know!"

It was only then that Draco finally noticed his presence. Blaise rolled his eyes again; so he was ignored. Before he could even think of a sarcastic remark, Draco's eyes met with his and he immediately bit his tongue.

"So they didn't go to your place?" Draco's voice was distant. Blaise's eyes narrowed in curiosity.

"Why would they go to my place? Draco, what is going on?"

"They… left."

"Left? Where did they go?"

"I have no idea."

"You mean they ran away?" Blaise exclaimed. Draco looked sideways, avoiding his eyes. "You'll tell me what happened right now."

"We had a fight, and they left."

"Draco, don't kid with me. You've had arguments before, but not like this! What's this about?"

"They… they didn't want me to marry Serena. They forced me to make a choice."

"And you chose her? For Merlin's sake, they're your children, damnit!"

"I'd choose them over anyone anytime! Do you think I'd walk out on them like that?" Draco was already on his feet, his fists tightened on Blaise's collar. After a few moments, he seemed to have calmed down, because he released Blaise and backed away.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it. If that's the case, then why did they leave?"

"I never got around to telling them that. They immediately assumed that I'd choose Serena, and left before I can even give my reply."

"You didn't even try going after them?"

"I-I was afraid they'd be even more angry if I went after them."

Blaise heaved another heavy sigh. "You're probably right. I'll look for them in the places where they'd most likely be: my house (they might've gone there after all), the Leaky Cauldron… probably Hogwarts too. You, on the other hand, should go and get some sleep. You look like death warmed over, mate. Not to mention you smell like one, too."

Draco smirked slightly. "Thanks, mate."

"Don't mention it." And with that, Blaise turned around and exited the room.

* * *

Pansy walked along the hallway of Hogwarts in silence. The usually crowded hallways were currently devoid of people save for her and the few students who chose to stay behind for the Holidays. As she entered the Great Hall, she noticed something was different, particularly in the Slytherin table. Glancing to see what exactly was off, she saw that the number of students on the table had increased by four. 

"What are they doing here?"


	12. Frustration All Around

**A/N: **I'm alive!! Finally, I got to update again. If you've read my profile, you'll know the reason why I haven't updated in ages... it's college. I've been bombarded with more homework and projects than I expected, but come on, it's my first year in college. It's summer vacation now, so I really made it my goal to update, at least before my summer classes start next week. So there.

Thank you for all your reviews. Your reviews are very much appreciated. I wanted to update but I just can't squeeze it into my schedule, so reading your reviews made me even more guilty and determined to update.

Okay, so before this gets longer, I'll say my disclaimers. Harry Potter characters belong only to J.K. Rowling. They're all hers. Although, I have to say this, she has some bad naming sense. I mean, naming Draco's son _Scorpius_! Of all the names!

I'll stop my ranting right now. So, I now give you Chapter 12. Enjoy, and don't forget to read and review (man, I missed saying, or should I say typing that)!

* * *

"So, what happens now?"

Hades, Apollo, Artemis and Poseidon were huddled in front of the Slytherin common room fireplace with mugs of hot chocolate on their hands. It was especially cold in the dungeons during this season, and it was all they could do to prevent being frozen to death. They were the only ones in there at the moment, as majority of the House went to their homes, and those who did stay were somewhere else. They saw this as an opportunity to talk about their current problem without being overheard.

"What happens now, Hade? You're always the one who thinks of ideas in times like these," Apollo said.

"I don't know, guys," he replied, looking at his siblings. "This time, I really don't know what to do."

"Well, we did hint Father on what that woman is up to. He's smart enough to put two and two together," Poseidon interjected, trying to make the mood lighter.

"Yeah, well, there's no denying that he's smart," Apollo said. "But as the Muggle song goes, 'Love makes fools of everyone'. Merlin knows just how much that woman has brainwashed him."

"He was brainwashed enough to even hit his own daughter," Artemis added quietly. Silence followed this, as the memory flashed through their minds again.

"There's only one thing that I'm sure will happen: with our running away, Serena will think she's won. She's going to worm her way into Father's mind and pocket further with us out of the way," Poseidon said.

Hades nodded in agreement. "And we can't allow that to happen, can we?"

"Of course not!" Artemis exclaimed. "But as much as I want to save Dad from his imminent death, I don't think I can see him yet."

"So what do we do?" Apollo asked again.

The four exchanged glances and sighed. It looks like it's going to be a long brainstorming ahead of them…

* * *

Pansy sat on her desk, which was covered by piles and piles of paper. Sighing, she set aside the paper she had just finished checking and grabbed another one. She scanned the paper in front of her, and groaned loudly.

"Oh, come on!" she cried out, flinging her quill on her desk. "What kind of an answer is this? This is something that a first year would write, not a fourth year! The handwriting's just as bad, too, like the handwriting of a preschooler. How in the world did this kid get to fourth year with papers good enough to throw in the bin?"

She has been sitting there for hours, checking paper after paper, but the pile on her desk doesn't seem to be decreasing. The cold weather isn't helping at all, since it's making her feel lethargic and sleepy. The coffee she drank earlier doesn't seem to be taking effect as well. Knowing that she can't sleep around although she wants to because she has to work, along with looking at the huge pile of work in front of her is starting to get to her nerves.

After glaring at the paper in front of her for a few seconds, she sighed. "It's bad enough that there's a ton of papers that I have to check, but seeing papers like _this_… this isn't even worth checking! It should be chucked to the bin where it belongs, because that's what this is: trash. If I had known that this was what being a teacher was like, I would never have taken this job at all-"

Her ranting was cut off by a knock on the door. She had been alone in silence for hours that the sound startled her.

"Who is it?"

"It's Blaise."

"Blaise? I thought you had gone home," she stood up and looked at her reflection on the window to see if she looked decent enough before she said, "Come on in."

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, but- Bloody hell." Blaise's eyes widened at the sight of the pie on her desk. "Now that is some paperwork. How'd you get so many? Not even Granger - oh it's Weasley now – checks that much papers!"

"I give a lot of essays," she answered simply. "So, what brings you here? I thought you were spending the holidays with your children."

"Oh, yeah. I was just going to ask if you've seen any or all of Draco's children here or in Hogsmeade."

"Draco's chil- yes, I did. I saw them seated at the Slytherin table earlier at lunch. I was wondering why they were here. Did something happen?"

"Apparently, Draco had a fight with them, and they ran away from home," Blaise replied. "Don't ask me what exactly happened, though. Draco wouldn't tell me the details. Actually, he doesn't want to do much of anything, even go out of his study. When I saw him in the manor, he had a glass of brandy in hand, and that was at 4:30 in the afternoon."

"I see," Pansy said quietly as she cast her gaze to the window. Seeing this, a small smile formed on Blaise's lips.

"They've had fights before and they've always managed to work things out. This one will turn out just the same, I can tell. And besides, we both know how Draco is. He'll quit moping around after a while, so don't worry about him. He'll be fine."

Pansy's head snapped back into his direction. Blaise just laughed at this.

"Pansy, don't even start denying that you're worried for Draco. I know you're worried about the kids, but more so about Draco. You haven't changed at all when it comes to him, have you?" Blaise said jokingly.

"But he has. He hates me with every fiber of his being now," Pansy said wistfully. "It's funny when I look back on when we used to study here. It's almost as if it were only a story of some fictional book or movie."

"You can't blame him, though, can you? I mean, you suddenly disappeared when he needed you most. His father was caught and imprisoned, his mother died; the last thing he needed was for you to walk out on him the way you did. I'm sorry for putting this bluntly, Pansy, but you abandoned him. I thought he'd never get over his depression back then; good thing Potter and the others started to be nice to him. You don't know just how much he's been through since you left; he stopped trusting people, even me. Gaea was the only person who had been able to get him out of his shell.

"You know, the only thing he asks from you is an explanation. Why did you leave him? What reason did you have for leaving him? I think it's always bothered him. Was the reason for your disappearance that great, that important, that you had to leave him? Just explain yourself to him, and maybe he won't hate you as much as he does now. It is his right to know, after all."

Pansy turned her back on him so that he wouldn't see the expression in her eyes. "I can't tell anyone the reason why I left, but it was that important. It was just as hard for me as it was for him, but I had to do it."

"So you won't tell anyone? Not even him?"

"I can't. I shouldn't."

"He'll hate you forever unless you tell him, you know that, right?" Blaise asked.

"I promised not to breathe a word about it to anyone. I'll take it with me to the grave."

"It's your call, Pansy. Thanks for the heads up." With a sigh, he exited the room.

"It's something I cannot tell anyone, Blaise," Pansy said, gazing at the now-closed door. "It's a matter of life and death."

* * *

A loud groan (which sounded more like a roar) of frustration rang out through the Slytherin common room.

"That's it! My brain can't do any more thinking!" Apollo exclaimed, tugging at his hair. "What we're doing is a bloody waste of time."

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right," Poseidon said. "Staring into the fire will not give us answers."

"Did anyone think of anything at all? Something we can start a plan with?" Artemis asked.

"I've got nothing!" Hades said. "Nothing's coming to me."

The other three sighed at this. They were going to say the same thing. The four of them had been sitting there for hours thinking of some way, of any way to make their father realize just how much of a fraud his 'fiancée' really is without having to come in contact with him, but so far they've come up with… nada. Their trains of thought were cut short by the sound of the door to the common room opening. Thinking that it was probably just one of their Housemates, they merely ignored it, but the voice that called their names afterwards caught their full attention.

"Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon! So you've been here all this time. I should've known."

"Uncle Blaise," Hades asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, of course!" Blaise replied, settling on one of the couches' armrests. "I've been all over London looking for you guys! Your father's very worried about you."

Apollo snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure he is," he replied, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Oh, come now, don't be like that-"

"If he were worried, why did he have to send you to look for us, then? Why not look for us himself?"

"Well, that's… that's because he's afraid you'd be even more angry with him if he came after you. He doesn't want things to get worse," Blaise tried to reason out.

"What you mean to say is that he's ashamed of what he did. A bit too late for that now, don't you think? Or maybe it's because he just doesn't care."

"Alright, Apollo, that's enough," Artemis stopped him before he can add anything more. "Uncle Blaise, we share the same sentiments that Father has. We also don't want this to get worse; we want to fix everything."

"However," Poseidon added. "I'm afraid that we can't do that just yet. We don't want to… see him yet. We didn't want anyone outside the family to find out, that's why we didn't go to you. But we forgot that you are family, and that you'd figure out something's wrong sooner than later. We're very sorry to have caused you trouble, Uncle Blaise."

"It's no trouble at all, Poseidon," Blaise said. "But what am I to tell your father? You must believe me when I say he is worried sick about you."

"Tell him that we're in Hogwarts, and that we're safe," Hades replied.

"Tell him that we're not angry with him. We can never be angry with him, but… we are highly disappointed and affronted by what he did," Poseidon said.

"Also, tell him that seeing him would be impossible for us at the moment, or in the very near future, I'm afraid," Artemis said. "He's said and done too many things. It'll take some time for us to recover-"

"And forgive him," Apollo interjected.

"Yes, that too," Artemis concurred.

"And lastly," Apollo concluded. "Tell him that he is free to do whatever he wants with his life. We've got no hold on him whatsoever. Who are we to stop him anyway? We're just his children. But tell him to be careful with the people around him. Tell him he should know where they're coming from first before doing something stupid like marrying them. They might just stab him in the back or something."

Blaise could do nothing but stare as the four said their messages to their father. At a loss for words, he just shook his head when Apollo had finished. _'And to think I'm the one who will pass all these on to Draco…'_

"Children, what exactly happened? I mean, what happened to make you this angry to your father and your father that… morose?" he asked. "Your father refuses to tell me the details about what had happened."

"I'm afraid we'll have to keep our mouths shut as well, Uncle Blaise," Hades replied.

"We were taught that family matters should remain within the family," Poseidon supplied.

"I understand," Blaise said. "I won't force you to tell me anything if you really don't want to. But if you should ever need anything, you can always ask me. Alright?"

The four nodded. A small smile formed on Blaise's lips as he looked at them. '_Draco taught them that, no doubt. Draco was also very secretive where his family is concerned, even when we were their age. They really are their father's children.'_

"Well," Blaise said as he stood up. "I guess I should be going. I still have to go back home to Elise and Elliot to make them dinner, but before that I have to go to your father to tell him of your whereabouts."

"Thank you, Uncle Blaise," Artemis said. "For everything."

"And we're sorry for all this trouble. You should be spending time with Elliot and Elise rather than busying yourself with us," Hades added.

"What are you talking about? They'll understand when I tell them about it. The few details that I know, that is. Well then, I'll be seeing you after the holidays."

With that, he turned and walked out of the room. The children waited for him to close the door behind him before asking the still-lingering question to themselves again.

"So what do we do now?" Artemis voiced out.

"There's nothing else left to do but let the raging winds subside," Poseidon said. Apollo raised an eyebrow at this and looked at him incredulously.

"He's right," Hades said in agreement. "We just have to wait until whatever we currently feel about Father fade away. Yes, even what you feel, Apollo," he added when Apollo opened his mouth to make a retort. Apollo stayed silent and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I suppose that's not improbable. Whatever happens, he's still our father, right? We're bound to let our grudges against him go after some time." Artemis said.

"Excuse me, but I beg to differ," Apollo snapped before heading out of the room.

"Apollo, wait!"

Artemis ran out of the room after him. The remaining two exchanged glances and sighed.

"If there's anyone who can talk some sense into his insanely stubborn head, it's Artemis," Hades said.

"That's true," Poseidon concurred as he stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not going to waste my time here sitting idly watching the fire while we wait for those two to get back. I'm going to get some homework done. The teachers are especially cruel to our batch, I think, since they gave us a ton of work to do over the holidays. On top of that are Professor Parkinson's difficult essay assignments."

"You guys too? She also gives us essay questions that are just-"

"Insane, I know. Insanely hard and insanely many."

Hades nodded in agreement. "I suppose I should start working on my deadlines as well, then."

"Yes, I suppose you should."

Hades just rolled his eyes at this and followed his brother to the boys' dormitory.

* * *

"Apollo, wait! Slow down a bit, will you?"

Artemis finally caught up to Apollo. Panting slightly, she walked beside her twin.

"I can't believe you're going to let it go just like that," Apollo said bitterly.

"We're just being true to ourselves," Artemis answered. "Let's face it, no matter what happens, we can't stay mad at him for all eternity. Can you?"

Apollo averted his eyes from hers and instead focused on the ground. Artemis said nothing and continued to walk alongside him. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke again.

"All this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for my 'brilliant' plan."

"Apollo, stop blaming yourself. You just wanted to help."

"If it weren't for my plan, Pansy wouldn't have been at the Christmas party, we wouldn't have had the reason to talk to Dad about his actions towards her, and he wouldn't have sla-"

"Stop wallowing in self-pity, Apollo Malfoy. If there's anyone to blame for this, it's that woman, and we'll make sure that she pays for it big time."

Apollo gave her a soft smile. "Thanks, Arty. You're right on both accounts. She's the one to blame for this, and I can't hold a grudge against my own father forever. We'll fix this, but not now."

"That's the spirit," Artemis said, giving him a pat on the back.

It was only then that they noticed they were already in front of the library. They were surprised to see how far they have walked from the dungeons. As they started to head back, the library doors creaked. Curious to see who it is, Apollo looked back and saw Pansy with a pile of books on her arms walking out of the room. As he stared at her retreating form, he saw a piece of paper fall from one of the books.

"Arty, wait," he called out to Artemis, who was a few steps ahead of him. Artemis looked back and raised her eyebrow in inquiry. "Come here, something fell from Pan- I mean, Professor Parkinson's book. We have to give it back."

They both neared the said piece of paper. It was an envelope. Apollo picked it up and made to open its flap; Artemis stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing? That's her letter to open, not yours."

"It wouldn't hurt to take a peek now, would it? Look, the flap's already undone, so she must've read it already. She wouldn't know that I looked inside, that is _if _someone doesn't rat it to her. And besides, admit it: you're also curious as to what it contains, aren't you?"

Artemis rolled her eyes at this. "Alright, alright. You win. But make it fast or someone else might see us here. Hurry."

Apollo took the paper out of the envelope; Artemis positioned herself behind him so she can also get a good look at it. After reading through its contents, Artemis had her eyebrows raised and Apollo had a pensive look on her face.

"This is…" Apollo started.

"A medical record," Artemis said.

Apollo gave her an incredulous look. "Thanks for that, Sherlock. It's a medical record that doesn't belong to Pansy, but to a certain Rowan Parkinson."

"A medical record that shows he doesn't have much long to live."

The two shared looks.

"Since when did we start completing each other's sentences? That's one of the stereotypes twins have; that's gross."

"That's not the point, Apollo!" Artemis exclaimed. "Who is this Rowan character? Apparently they're close, or else she wouldn't have this."

"I'm just playing with you," Apollo replied with a grin before turning serious again. "But you're right. We have to show this to Hade and Don. But we have to get this back to Pansy, or she'll get suspicious that someone else read this."

"We can duplicate it, but I don't know the spell for it."

"Well, there's only one person we can go to for that: the walking encyclopedia himself, our beloved little brother, Poseidon."

* * *

"Have you finished eating, Rowan?"

Rowan averted his gaze from the window to the healer on his door. He pushed the tray away from him and nodded.

"Yes, I'm finished."

As the healer was gathering his tray, Rowan's eyes caught a glimse of the newspaper tucked inside the back pocket of the healer's pants.

"Can I see that? That newspaper."

"Oh, this?" The healer set the tray down again. "This is an old issue. I'm just answering the crossword at the back." He handed him the newspaper and gathered the tray again before leaving the room.

Rowan waited for him to leave the room. When he was alone in the room, Rowan turned his attention to the newspaper in his hands, more specifically at its cover page. There was a picture of a young man with four children, two on his left and two on his right. When he held the paper closer to the light, he recognized the man as someone he used to know very well.

'_I have to move fast, before I… This is the least that I can do for you, after everything you've done for me. I don't have much time left, so I have to move fast, in order to give back what you lost for my sake before I leave… Pansy."_


	13. Lucky?

**A/N: **I'm back with an update! Finally, after more than one year, I finally have an update. I really apologize for the super long delay. School demands most of my attention, as always, and another thing is that I've grown out of the fandom and HP in general. But I'll still try my very best to finish this fic, because I really don't like leaving things undone. Just don't expect a consistent update, though. That's pretty hard to do for me now.

Anyway folks, here's chapter 13. Enjoy reading and don't forget to review because reviews are love! XD

* * *

When Blaise got back to the Malfoy Manor, he found Draco in the exact same place where he had left him, but although he didn't look as wasted as he did earlier, he still had the same distant expression. _'This is one strong déjà vu, alright,' _Blaise sighed. This scene brought back memories that he had kept at the back of his mind, memories he'd rather forget.

_**14 years ago…**_

"_Morning, old chap," a 17-year old Blaise entered the dining room of the Malfoy Manor with a slight skip. Clutched in his hand is the day's issue of the Daily Prophet with the headline: 'DARK LORD DEFEATED! POTTER GIVEN THE HIGHEST HONOR KNOWN TO WIZARDING KIND!' Taking a seat near the head of the table, where Draco was seated, he helped himself to the tea served by a house elf. "Potter really did it. I still can't believe it, the Dark Lord's dead! It's so unreal-" He paused when he noticed that Draco wasn't listening to him, but staring into space instead._

"_Hello? Draco, I don't appreciate being ignored, you know! Are you really awake? You look half-dead… Draco! It's like talking to thin air, honestly. Are you just gonna sit there or are you gonna start-"_

_Draco looked up to meet his eyes and Blaise immediately stopped his tirade._

"_Bloody hell… I'm sorry, Drake. I forgot all about your mother and… I'm sorry."_

"_I don't know what to do, Blaise. I looked for her everywhere, asked everyone, but I can't find her."_

_Blaise narrowed his eyes; Draco's voice matched the expression in his eyes – distant and hollow._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_It's Pansy… She's gone."_

Blaise gave out another sigh. That had just been the start of Draco's depression, and if it hadn't been for Gaea, he might never have pulled himself out of it. And now, with this happening, Blaise doesn't know how Draco's going to cope until his children are ready to talk to him.

"Blaise, did you find them?"

Draco's hollow voice seemed to reverberate throughout the room. Blaise inhaled deeply before speaking.

"Yes, I did. They're in Hogwarts. They'll be safe there, I'm sure, so you don't have to worry about them too much."

"Thanks," Draco said. "Really, thanks for everything, Blaise."

"They told me to tell you a few things, by the way," Blaise said.

"What did they say?"

"I've already told you what Hades wanted to tell you, that they're safe in Hogwarts. Poseidon wanted you to know that they're not angry with you; they're just disappointed with you. Artemis said that they're not yet ready to see you or talk to you at the moment, and she's asking you to give them time to recover and think. And as for Apollo…"

Blaise hesitated to continue. He wasn't sure if Draco was ready to hear it in his state. Draco, on the other hand, expected that the bluntest message would come from Apollo and waited for him to continue.

"Well, Apollo said, and I quote, 'Tell him to be careful with the people around him. Tell him he should know where they're coming from first before doing something stupid like marrying them. They might just stab him in the back or something.'"

Blaise eyed Draco warily after he spoke. He was afraid that Draco might suddenly start hurling whatever his hand could grab in frustration. But he was surprised when Draco's mood suddenly shifted from sullen to pensive. Draco was staring into space again, eyes narrowed as if analyzing something.

"Draco?"

"I am so stupid," Draco suddenly said, raking a hand through his hair. "So that's what they're trying to do. Fuck, how stupid can I get?"

"What are you talking about?"

"They're trying to tell me something. They've been dropping hints all this time, and yet here I was, the blind idiot that I am, not noticing a single thing!"

"Hinting you about what, exactly?"

"It's about Serena, I'm sure of it. What it's exactly about, that I don't know, but I will find out."

"You're going to investigate your own fiancée behind her back?"

"You know, there's always a reason why my children didn't like the girls I dated before, and I'm sure Serena's case is no different. I'd do anything to make it up to them. Absolutely anything."

* * *

"Poseidon! Poseidon, get you arse down here right now! Poseidon!"

Apollo's voice rang throughout the entire dormitory. The students in the Common Room looked at him incredulously, but he paid them no attention and continued shouting. A few moments later, Poseidon and Hades descended from the staircase with their brows knit together in annoyance.

"Did you really have to shout? Wake up the entire school, why don't you?" Poseidon snapped.

"What are you on about anyway? Is it so important that you have to disturb everyone here?" Hades added.

"Of course it's important. But we can't talk here," Apollo said, eyeing the other people in the room. "Let's go upstairs."

"Then what was the point of calling us downstairs?" Poseidon asked, irritation obvious in his voice.

Apollo gave out a nervous chuckle. "I was caught up in the moment, perhaps?"

"Whatever," Poseidon huffed, turning around to go back upstairs. The others followed him to the First Year Boys' dormitory. When everyone was inside the room, Apollo peeked outside the door before closing it and locking it.

"So what's that important thing you've been talking about? And it had better be important, or else…" Poseidon was eyeing his older brother venomously.

"Of course it's important. I need you to duplicate this for me," Apollo handed him the envelope but he didn't take it.

"Just when I was in the middle of doing my homework, you barge in and interrupt just for this?! What the blood hell?!"

"No, no, wait, Poseidon! You don't understand," Apollo raised his hands in defense. Apollo knows from experience that an angry Poseidon was a scary sight. "You have to believe me when I say that this is important to our cause. Right, Arty?"

"Right."

"See? Just duplicate it and then read it afterwards."

Poseidon snatched the envelope from his hand and gave him a glare before taking out his wand and muttering an incantation under his breath. After a few seconds, another envelope appeared on his hand, and he gave the original one back to Apollo before reading the contents of the other envelope, Hades reading behind his shoulder. Their eyes grew as wide as saucers as they read through.

"Rowan Parkinson?" Hades said when he was finished. "Who could he be?"

"Dunno," Apollo shrugged. "But he's obviously related to Pansy in some way."

Hades narrowed his eyes in thought, before a look of realization dawned on his face. "Could he be…?"

"Any ideas, Hade?"

"When I asked Pansy if she would like to go to the Christmas dinner, I asked her what her plans for the holidays were. She said she was going to visit her brother."

"I also remember her saying that when she left that night," Artemis said.

"So this Rowan character could possibly be her brother, am I correct?" Apollo asked. The other two nodded in agreement.

"Wait a minute," Poseidon suddenly said. The other three looked at him inquiringly. "I think I've seen this name before… Yes, I think I have."

"You have?" Hades asked. Poseidon nodded. "Where?"

"That's what I'm trying to remember," Poseidon said. "Ah! I remember now, come with me, hurry!"

The others followed him as he ran out of the dormitory and into the direction of the library. When they got there, he immediately went up to one aisle and started searching through different folders.

"The library?" Apollo said with distaste. "I never thought I'd have to go back in here ever again after we carried out the plan."

Poseidon snorted at this, while the other two merely rolled their eyes. After a few shuffling of papers, Poseidon found what he was looking for.

"Here it is," he said, laying out the contents of the folder for everyone to see. "Whoever said that the archive section here in Hogwarts is one of the most intensive in the wizarding world was right. I doubt this information can be found elsewhere. Let's see… got it. Here it is."

He pointed at one name among the list on the parchment, and indeed, there it was written in almost fading black ink: 'Parkinson, Rowan'.

"That's it? Nothing else? No information on him whatsoever?" Apollo exclaimed.

"I only said I saw his name. I didn't say I saw an entire file on him," Poseidon clarified.

"What is this list anyway?" Hades asked.

"Well, as for that…" Poseidon took a glance at them first, and hesitated at first, before flipping the cover of the folder to reveal the title:

'**DEATH EATERS-MISSING'**

The other three had different reactions. Hades' eyes grew as wide as saucers, Artemis clasped her hand over her mouth to keep her from speaking loudly, and as for Apollo, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Poseidon.

"How did you even know this list existed?"

"I've been doing a background research on Father for some time now," Poseidon answered. "I just happened to come across this list, took one glance at it then put it aside afterwards. It wasn't of any significance to my research anyway."

"And yet you remembered that his name was in this?"

"I took note of it because he had the same surname as the missing Pansy Parkinson. Wait, if I remember correctly, there's a copy of all the family trees of pureblood families somewhere here. I know it's in this same aisle…"

And with that he turned around and went through the files once again. Apollo heaved a sigh.

"Ah, the wonders of having a nerd for a brother," he muttered, which earned him a glare from Hades and Artemis. Poseidon on the other hand didn't even hear him as he was already so engrossed with digging through the musty records.

"Hmm… no, that's not it… it's got to be here somewhere… Aha! Finally!"

He emerged from the tall stacks of folders and records after a few minutes had passed, a victorious grin on his face. His hair was already messed up, and there were smudges of dust on his face, but he didn't seem to care or notice. He opened the black hardbound compilation in his hand and flipped through its pages as his siblings neared him.

"There are only a few pureblood families, so it should be somewhere in… here," he stopped at one page. True enough, it was the Parkinson family tree. He ran his fingers across the page as he searched for Pansy's name, which was at the very bottom of the tree. There was a line connected to it, and he followed it with his finger. He looked up at the other three upon seeing the name written there; they'd found what they were looking for.

"So we were right. Rowan is Pansy's brother… and he's dying," Hades realized, exchanging sad looks with his siblings. Apollo's expression, however, changed into something akin to pensive.

"Where's the envelope?"

"It's here," Poseidon replied, fishing out from his pocket the envelope he'd duplicated earlier. Apollo looked through the papers inside, reading the contents very carefully as if looking for a specific word.

"What are you looking for?" Artemis asked.

"I just realized something," his eyes continued to scan the papers until he stopped at the last one. "Bingo. Poseidon, what's the date of the end of the Second War?"

Poseidon raised an eyebrow in confusion at his question. After all, it wasn't like Apollo to be suddenly interested in History, especially seeing as History of Magic was the subject he hated most. Apollo returned his look with an exasperated one.

"Just answer me."

"It was towards the end of term, because the final exams were cancelled afterwards. I can't remember the exact date, but it was in June of 1997 when it ended. Why?"

A knowing smirk crossed Apollo's face when he asked. "Rowan Parkinson was admitted in St. Mungo's June 19, 1997."

His siblings' eyes grew wide at this fact. He showed them the paper to prove it, and true enough, the information was there.

"And when did Pansy disappear?" Apollo asked further, trying to get them to realize his point.

"At the end of the Second War, June of 1997," Poseidon answered in a whisper

"Wait a minute, so you're saying…" Hades said to confirm if his thoughts were the same as the others'.

"We just may have found out the truth behind the mystery of Professor Parkinson's disappearance," Apollo answered with a nod.

"Bloody hell," Artemis muttered, flabbergasted by their discovery.

"You can say that again," Hades acquiesced. "We have to return the original letter now to Pansy, don't you think?"

"Oh, no worries, I have it right-" Apollo stopped as he stuck his hand into his robe pocket.

"Don't tell me it's not there," Artemis said warningly.

"It's here," Apollo replied, pulling out the envelope. "But my wand isn't. I must've left it at home when we were packing our stuff!"

The other three sighed. Some things will never change, will they?

"I need to get it back! I'm nothing without my wand!" he added, looking at his siblings with puppy dog eyes. For some reason he's developed a strange attachment to his wand, and he's never been apart from it since he bought it until now.

"Alright, I'm going with you. But we're gonna have to sneak our way in and out," Hades said in resignation. "Come on, let's get back to the Common Room, seeing as we have to use the Floo."

He led the way out of the library, followed by Apollo directly behind him and Artemis and Poseidon lagging behind. It seemed that this was gonna be another adventure they'll have to take.

* * *

Draco sighed as he leaned back further into his seat. He was still in his study, but he was no longer drinking. Instead he was thinking of the riddle his children left him. It wasn't like them to be so tightlipped about things. Usually, when there's something wrong they tell it straight to him, and they've never been one to play around like this. Well, he figured he had to at least get moving, and he needed to start by getting the most basic information he needed.

He turned to his desk, got a piece of paper and started writing a letter. When he was done, he stood up and made his way to the owlery, where he asked one of his most trusted owls to deliver the letter he'd made. As the owl flew away from the manor, he couldn't help but let out a sigh. Why did this have to happen during the holidays? Why now, when he thought his life couldn't be any more perfect?

'_I'd best get some sleep, I suppose. I wouldn't be able to think straight in this state,'_ he thought to himself as he walked out of the owlery.

On his way to his room, he a lot of things entered his mind, mainly how lonely the manor seemed without the children in it. The atmosphere was exactly like it had been when he was younger—cold and foreboding. He was going to figure out what his children meant as soon as he can, so he can bring them back already. When he was walking past the hallway where the children's rooms were, he caught a glimpse of blond hair out of the corner of his eye. He walked towards where he saw it and waited (for a sound or for someone to come out, he also didn't know what) but nothing happened. Figuring that it must be his eyes playing tricks on him, he turned and continued walking to his room.

Unknown to him, there was someone in one of the rooms. Two of them, to be exact. Apollo and Hades leaned at the closed doors of Apollo's room, panting heavily from the running and hiding they've done.

"You idiot!" Hades hissed as he glared at Apollo. "Dad almost caught us because of you!"

"It's not my fault your hair attracts more attention to itself than needed," Apollo retorted. "Anyway, summon my wand now so we can get out of here."

Hades continued to glare at him as he fished out his wand. It didn't seem to affect the other, though, as they were surrounded by darkness, and only the moon was their source of light. He extended a hand as he held his wand up, aiming at nowhere in particular.

"_Accio Apollo's wand!"_

They heard a whooshing sound coming from a part of the room, and soon enough Apollo's wand was in Hades' outstretched hand. Apollo grabbed it even before he can say anything.

"Yes! Good thing using magic in the house is undetectable," Apollo exclaimed in a hushed voice. "Now let's go."

They slowly opened the door, cautious as to not make the hinges creak, and tiptoed their way out of the room and back down the stairs as silently as they can. They made their way to the main living room, which they also used to get into the Manor. As they passed by a particular table where the unopened letters were placed, Hades suddenly stopped and looked at the parcels and letters on it.

"What are you doing?" Apollo inquired.

"Wait, it's my monthly subscription of- Hey, what's this?"

Hades picked up an envelope that was addressed to their father. It was a perfectly normal envelope, but what made him interested was a certain something found on its back.

"Oi! This is not the time to be nosy, let's go!" Apollo said demandingly, his hand already holding a fistful of Floo powder. Pocketing his newsletter and the envelope, he hurried to the fireplace. Apollo threw the powder when he was already there, and with a burst of green flames they were gone.

* * *

As Draco had expected, he was not having a peaceful sleep. He wasn't having a nightmare, but what he was seeing was not a pleasant one as well. He was dreaming of a memory; it was one of his most treasured and well-kept memories. But looking back on it now proved to be a most painful experience.

"_Draco?"_

_Pansy's voice stirred Draco from his light sleep. They were lying beside each other in his bed in the Slytherin dormitory, naked and exhausted after their love-making a few hours before. He looked at the woman in his arms and smiled slightly with a cocked eyebrow, waiting for her to complete her question._

"_It's going to happen soon, right? I'm scared… of what might and might not happen."_

_Draco placed a soft kiss on her forehead to soothe her even just a little. "I know. I'm feeling just as anxious, but we've done everything that we can and everything that's expected of us. All we can do now is wait and trust Potter with all we have. He's the only one who can end this."_

_Pansy propped herself up with one arm, and looked at Draco. Draco can see the worry and fear swimming in her eyes, and it really couldn't be helped, given the current situation. Everything's uncertain; you never know what will happen and when it will happen—it just takes you by surprise and there's nothing you can do about it._

"_I know, but-"_

"_We'll make it through this, Pansy. We haven't done that much good to be taken away so easily. I'll come back to you just as I am right now, I promise."_

"_Naked and all sweaty?" _

_Pansy had made a joke; she's starting to feel better already. Draco chuckled._

"_Don't try to deny that you like what you see."_

"_I didn't say anything like that."_

"_You know what I mean, don't you?" Draco's tone suddenly reverted back to being serious. Pansy nodded in reply. "And when all this is over… will you marry me, Pansy?"_

_Pansy's eyes widened in surprise at what Draco just asked. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she gave another nod. "Of course I will. I'll marry you."_

_Cupping her cheek, Draco pulled her gently towards her and claimed her lips in a loving kiss. When he broke the kiss, he kept their foreheads pressed together, rubbing his nose against hers. "You have to promise me too… promise me that you'll come back after the war is over, and after that we'll get married and have kids, and when they move out, we'll spend the rest of our lives together forever until we die together. Do you promise?"_

"_I promise."_

Draco sighed as his eyes fluttered open, finally waking up from the dream. In the end, that promise remained just as that: a promise. It was never made into reality. Pansy disappeared right after the war, and was not seen or heard of until a few months ago. The one person he had trusted to be at his side when things became unbearable had walked out on him, dropped him like a plaything and abandoned him. The least that she could've done was to tell him why, but she didn't. Despite everything, he only felt frustration and disappointment towards her, and never anger like what his children think. He was so frustrated with himself that he couldn't seem to hate her when she so deserved it.

His thoughts were interrupted by a rather loud knocking sound at his window. The owl he had sent out earlier was back with a tiny scroll tied to its foot. He opened the window and retrieved the scroll before letting the owl go back to the owlery. Opening the tiny piece of parchment, it read:

_Draco, I'll be glad to help. I'll come by tomorrow at around 4 for tea.-L.L._

"So it finally begins," Draco muttered to himself, a small smile on his face.


End file.
